


Friends by Your Side, Within and Without.

by Blueberry_Muffin_Massacre



Series: Headspace Over Time [2]
Category: OMORI (Video Game)
Genre: Depression, Dreamsharing, Everything that applies to Omori applies here, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Spoilers, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-13 17:54:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 28
Words: 52,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29282565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blueberry_Muffin_Massacre/pseuds/Blueberry_Muffin_Massacre
Summary: [SPOILERS FOR OMORI ENDING]All content warnings that apply to the game should apply here as well.You don't need to suffer alone.Your friends can help you. Your friends will help you.You deserve their company.(Sunny's friends visit his headspace AU.)THANK YOU FOR THE TVTROPES MENTION!
Relationships: Basil/Sunny (OMORI), Hero/Mari (OMORI)
Series: Headspace Over Time [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2145015
Comments: 359
Kudos: 943





	1. Setting the stage

**Author's Note:**

> This is a bit of a fantastic twist on the last fic I wrote but dammit I like the idea so I'm going to try and write it. Some of the setup for this fic is present in the previous one.

**Welcome to White Space.**

**You've lived here for as long as you can remember.**

* * *

Omori stood within White Space. Sunny was awake, He had no reason to exist at this moment, and yet he remained. This is because something had changed in Headspace, Something he didn't do.

The Keys have been scattered again, the keyboard to his laptop left mostly barren.

He didn't understand how this happened. He didn't do it. He did not lock the way to Black Space to keep Basil hidden away. Black Space was still open, he and Sunny could enter it if they pleased.

White Space did not change beyond the missing keys.

Head Space was virtually unchanged. High Rise Lights subtly grew, but that was to be expected. It's somewhere new made partially by Sunny based on his new home. It was occasionally updating and refining itself.

Black Space...Well it was always changing. It was a shifting roiling mess of discarded thoughts and ideas. The only constant part of it was the entrance, and the only change there was the lightbulb hanging from the wire, something he and Sunny put there together.

He couldn't figure it out, and that worried him. It can't be Something. Something was placated, idly drifting along in White Space. Could it be Abbi? He doubted it. She can't reach into White Space, but she can reach just about everywhere else in Headspace.

...He needed to check something.

* * *

**Vast Forest**

* * *

He can't collect it.

He is staring at the Key. The A key specifically. And he can't collect it. His hands go straight through the key, unable to grasp it. He can gently feel the small hole underneath it, leading all the way down to Black space, what would be an issue if Sunny hadn't already revealed the truth.

He didn't understand. Normally his friends couldn't collect the keys. They weren't meant for them, they were meant for someone else.

...

Meant for Someone Else.

Who? Who could collect these keys if not him? Who were these meant for if not Sunny?


	2. Kel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Good Night, Kel.

**"I have to tell you something."**

This...was a joke, right? Some way to lighten everyone's moods after last night?

It wasn't funny.

Sunny's sense of humor was always a little weird, and maybe it got weirder over the last four years.

...

This...isn't a joke.

This is real. Sunny actually killed Mari.

...No, no he didn't. That's wrong. He didn't kill her. That sounds wrong, that sounds like he meant to do it.

There was an accident. A terrible accident. Sunny didn't mean to hurt her, he can tell. He can tell from his friend's tears, from how his voice strained.

And what he and Basil did after...It was sickening, but...They were _twelve_. Even hearing about it now was causing his chest to pound and his eyes to blur, and they thought they killed her when they were four years younger.

Kel lurched forward. His legs were weak as he moved, his brain having not fully processed the gravity of what Sunny and Basil did.

Perhaps that's why he was the first to forgive him.

He knelt down in front of Sunny and wrapped his arms around him tightly. "S-sunny...Sunny it's ok." He spoke through his own tears. "I-it's ok..." He could hear Sunny protesting quietly. It wasn't ok. What he did was not ok. "No, no it's...I'm not saying-" Another pause. He really did push his sister...It was an accident. He's trembling around his hug. "I'm saying I'm not mad at you."

This cause Sunny to halt. Kel took this as a good thing. "W-what you did wasn't okay, but...B-but I know why you did it. A-and I know you'd never intentionally hurt her. I-i don't think you could hurt anyone!" Sunny sobbed in the hug, a hiccup escaping from him. Kel continued. "I'm here for you. Friends should stick with their friends...So I'm going to stick with you, Sunny." He tried to sport a smile then. It looked kind of wrong, forced and hidden under his crying eyes.

He looked stupid. He kind of felt stupid. But he wanted his friend to know he still cared for him. He still loved him. He didn't think less of him because of this.

* * *

He wished he could be there for Sunny. He kept that secret for four years because he was afraid of what would happen if he told anyone. And then he had to move away so soon after finally telling them.

He wish he could be there more to let him know he was still his friend.

Well...He'll be sure to text him plenty! He'll be present however he can!

* * *

He was glad they could still visit the tree house. They took a slightly different route so they could avoid the backyard of the now empty house, but it still stood there for them to visit.

Today, he and Basil decided to hang out up there.

He saw him a little bit beforehand, placing some flowers on the stump where Mari...Was put. After she died. He had to remind himself about that sometimes. It just seems so surreal.

Basil started to cry a short time after they entered the tree house. He felt so guilty for what he did. Kel deployed more hugs, telling him he forgave him. And he did, he did forgive him. He was just as young as Sunny. He was just as scared. Basil seemed to calm a short ways in, seemingly a bit more accepting of his forgiveness. Seeing Basil smile afterward made Kel feel like he was shining.

He had an idea for something to do, and to change the topic. Those old plants on the windowsill had long since died. He asked Basil if he would be willing to help him replace them! He wasn't all that good with plants, but he was decently strong. He could easily haul up new soil and pots.

* * *

Sunny visited today!

And what an awesome visit it was!

Sunny looked much better than before. He had color to his skin and weight to his bones. And he had a cool eye-patch! He told Sunny he looked like a pirate, something that almost got him hit by Aubrey before Sunny stopped her, quietly admitting he liked the compliment. Kel 1, Aubrey 0.

He taught Sunny some of the very basics of Basketball. How to dribble, how to shoot, how scoring works. They even played together! Sunny was not good at all, But he didn't care. He played easy for him so he could score a few shots, and just playing with Sunny and seeing him happy was plenty enough enjoyment for him.

Sunny knew he was still his friend. He was confident.

* * *

It's been a year since Sunny left...Man, it didn't feel like it at all. It felt like he left a month ago! Granted, he visited a few times, but that was still sparing compared to being next door. Someone new was moving in now, but he and Hero got to speak to her one day. She was told about the tree house, and she told them of course they were allowed back there still! She simply asked if they must cut through the backyard they warn her, which Kel ensured that won't be necessary, he knew a way there that didn't go on her property. She also asked they not be too loud at night, which was a bit silly, they didn't exactly throw parties back there. Faraway wasn't exactly party country anyway.

* * *

Kel awoke with a small start on a bench. Did he fall asleep at the park? He recalled doing some serious practice earlier...that was way earlier though, he was certain he headed home and went to sleep by then. As he looked up, he registered the massive spinning pinwheels.

This was a Dream! Oh that made far more sense. Hm, normally when he realizes he's dreaming he wakes up shortly after, but he feels pretty present still. So! Dream town! What to do here...He can eat!

...

Huh. He was certain he'd make a buffet appear. Well this one's a picky dream then, letting him be all lucid but not letting him go ham on some delicious...ham. Okay, so he'll have to go find something to do then. This place is pretty nice, but it's also pretty small. He saw some kid flying a kite, which yeah that'd be fun but he didn't have a kite!

Hey, what's this? He noticed something under the bench. A little black tile...wait, this is a keyboard key? "C" it said. Weird. Oh well, Dreams are weird. There was a small hole under it too. Did it pop out of the ground? He didn't pay it much mind as he casually pocketed the little key. What else is here? A picnic blanket, but with no one there. And no food! It's just a blanket then! Wait, is that a ladder?

Oh wow. There's a lot more actual places to see in this dream. Big ladder, but whatever, it's a dream! He can just jump on down!

...

Actually never mind that is really too high to jump. Better to just use the ladder.


	3. Happy

**VAST FOREST**

* * *

Kel quickly learned two things shortly after descending the ladder from the pinwheel park type place: This dream had cute bunnies, and the bunnies were out for blood. Oh sure, they didn't bite or anything, but they rammed him hard enough to knock the air out of him. Where they just trying to nuzzle him but were too freakishly strong? Or where they trying to kill him? Given what Bun-Bun's bites feel like, he was going with the latter.

He did have a basketball with him, and while it wasn't much he could still use it to protect himself. His goal was to just knock them away to discourage them, but he ended up hitting the bunnies hard enough to make them poof out of existence.

Dreams man. They were weird.

This forest reminded him of the woods behind Sunny's old house, just a bit brighter. Trees were pink with leaves that were juuuust short of being blue, and the grass had an almost minty hue to them. Kel was tempted to see if it tasted minty too, but decided not to test that theory. If he was wrong he would look really stupid.

Oh, there's a sign here! Let's see...There's a playground north of here? Hey, that sounds like it could be fun! He wondered if they had a jungle gym. Sure, he was much taller and older, but he still loved climbing around things.

The first thing he saw was a floating mirror and his own reflection staring back at him. He was wearing his orange jersey. Man, he liked that thing so much it appeared in his dreams! He took a moment to really take in everything else. Hop scotch. Monkey bars. Slide. Swing set. Racket Ball. Well, maybe not a full jungle gym, but oh well. This actually doesn't look too different from Faraway park, now that he thinks about it. Makes sense he'd dream about places he knows though!

And another empty picnic blanket! Who's leaving these things out?! At least roll it up and put it back into the basket man!

...Man it is weirdly empty here. Other than that kid he saw flying a kite and some bunnies, he's not really seen anyone. Well, he came from the south, maybe there's something more up north!

And he was right! There was a stump! A really colorful one...Hm. That looked a bit too familiar. Kel could feel a weight in his chest. Maybe he should go find a small pinwheel somewhere to put on top of this one like Aubrey did with the one in real life. This might be a dream but he thinks Mari would appreciate it regardless. Hey wait, there's a little crawl space under here! Are there raccoons in there? Or more murder bunnies? Kel gently knelt down to look inside.

He wasn't expecting to see colorful stairs and a decently furnished room. He was especially not expecting a young girl to looking back at him with a shocked expression. Kel yanked his head back as he heard said girl scream at him peeking in. Kel flustered to apologize. "S-sorry! Sorry, I didn't know anyone was down there-!" "KEEELLL! THERE'S SOME TALL YOU OUTSIDE! WHAT DID YOU DO?! MAKE HIM GO AWAY!"

Kel blinked. That sounded like Aubrey from a few years ago. Actually, did that look like Aubrey too? He had trouble seeing her with anything less than bright pink hair, so maybe he didn't recognize her black haired younger self at first. And who was she shouting at? She said his name, but it sounded like it was directed at someone else. Kel paused for a moment, not hearing anything else, before he decided to look down into the stump again.

He didn't get time to look into the stump before someone's head popped out of it, looking up at him. It was...Him! A younger him. He'd recognize those charming features anywhere! Though his younger self looked awfully blue, in color if not in mood.

"Wooaahh..." This young, Dream Kel's eyes glittered as he looked at his older self.

"Woah." The older, Real Kel reacted similarly at seeing this strange younger version.

Real Kel watched Dream Kel crawl out of the entrance to the little stump and stand up to look up at him. "Are you...Me from the future?!" Real Kel gently scratched the side of his head. "I uh...I think so?" "DO I GET TALLER THAN HERO?!" "Yes!" "YES!"

Dream Kel pumped his fist. Dream Kel was Ecstatic.

"Yes! Yes! Mm! I outgrow Hero! Yes! Wait. Wait are you here to warn us off of some doomed future?" "Uh...No?" "SICK! Hey, come down here!" Kel watched as his dream self promptly went right back into the stump. This was so weird. Kel was so into it. It took some doing to actually squeeze through the little stump opening, but he managed to work himself through the small door.

Oh wow this room was weird. And very familiar. Already he was struck with the striking colors, the blue wall and pink floors, the single bright white door. He looked to see his younger dream self quickly descending down the stairs. "GUYS! LOOK!" He saw his younger self gesture wildly to the other two in the room.

He saw the young lady groan. "Nooo...Kel why did you bring Kel here?! AUGH! This is so CONFUSING! WHY ARE THERE TWO KELS?! What have I done to deserve this?!" She seemed very annoyed, but was also being dramatic. Now that he had a clear look, he was certain this was a younger Aubrey. Man, she looked completely different back then compared to how she looked now, even disregarding the strange blue color to her.

"Another Kel? An _older_ Kel? Really? Oh wow...!" He immediately recognized the other person as Hero. No amount of blue color and pajama pants(?) would prevent Kel from recognizing his brother's face and voice. Still, this was a much younger Hero, maybe even from before the accident? A pang of something sharp went through Kel's gut. Was he dreaming of his friends before then? He thought he had moved on by this point...He did miss Hero's old self, sometimes. He'd been doing so much better as of late, but he can still catch glimpses of the deeply impacted Hero when he thinks he's not being seen.

...Augh, Kel, Come on! Feeling guilty about remembering a younger Hero isn't going to do anything good for you! Especially here in weirdo dream world. "Uh...Hi!" He felt a little awkward, feeling like the oldest one here. Even if he and Hero were the same age in this dream, he couldn't quite tell. His younger dream self shouted happily. "He came from the FUTURE! Look, he's a Sports Star Guy! And he's taller than Hero! See? I _knew_ I'd outgrow you eventually!" His younger self was certainly loud, that he knew well about himself. Real Kel had to gently lower his expectations. "I'm not a sports star guy, just a regular sports guy! I haven't hit the stardom yet. I'm only a few years older, er, from the future." His dream self didn't seem to deflate one bit despite this.

Real Kel watched as Hero approached him, standing just under eye level. "So you're Kel in a few years? Got any predictions from the future to share with us?" He. Hm. He didn't know much about the direction this dream would take if he said something serious. Better keep it light and positive. "Well, as I said I'm only from a few years in the future! But I'm in sports, Aubrey has pink hair, and You're studying to be a doctor alongside cooking!"

Aubrey, who was spending most of this trying desperately to keep away from the two kels under risk of growing too annoyed, promptly ran into view and glowed. "I get pink hair?! Do I look pretty? Wait, don't answer that, you'll find some way to annoy me with the answer, I _know_ I'll look good with pink hair!" Real Kel gently scratched his hair with an odd smile. "Well, You do actually become pretty cool when you grow up a bit." Aubrey turned and looked him dead in the eye, speaking with the most serious tone she could muster. "Please tell me we aren't dating-" "What?! No! Gross!" " _Good_ , Thank god, crisis averted!"

Hero spoke up again. "I become a Doctor?" "Are becoming one! You're not there yet, you gotta go through a lot of study to become a doctor. Fixing people's tough, apparently." "Huh, I guess it would be. Can't just feed people healthy forever, huh?" "Nope! But you're still an excellent chef, don't worry!" Hero smiled happily at this news. Good! Managed to spin this in a good way!

Dream Kel jumped excitedly back towards the stairs. "Hey, Let's go do something! Anything, I just want to hang out with my cool future self!" Hero spoke up first. "Hold on! We should wait for Om-"

"OH MY GOD WHAT IS THAT?!" Real Kel fell on his ass, suddenly meeting face to face with the massive cat that hung off the back wall of the room. Has that always been there?! Apparently so, as both Dream Kel and Aubrey started to chuckle, Aubrey speaking out first. "That big yellow cat just likes to keep an eye on this room!" The big cat in response meowed, a low noise due to its size. Real Kel awkwardly giggled his nerves away, idly noticing the roof of the room was just the night sky. Yep, it's a dream still. He notice the giant cat wasn't looking at him, it was looking at the white door in the back of the room.

Seeing Kel look at it made Hero speak on topic again. "Right, We should wait and see if Omori is joining us!" Who? Real Kel spoke up. "Who's Omori?" Hero tilted his head curiously at him. "You don't know Omori? I thought...is he not in the future with you?" Real Kel shrugged. "I don't know anyone named Omori."

Aubrey walked toward the white door, gently knocking on it. No response, but she didn't seem to mind. "Omori's our friend! He lives in this white room, I think he's sleeping right now though."

Real Kel approached the white door. It seemed very out of place compared to everything else he's seen so far. It didn't seem otherworldly or anything, it was just a sturdy white-painted wooden door. Kel gently knelt down, seeing it had a keyhole. He reached into his pocket for a second, only feeling the plastic of the little keyboard key he found. Why did he assume he had a key to this door? He instead decided to look through the keyhole.

For a moment, he couldn't see much. Some blanket? A black box, maybe that's suppose to be a laptop? There's some black thing way off in the distance that he couldn't make out. Was that a person?

He didn't really consider what else it could be as someone or something moved directly in front of the lock. He was met with an eye staring straight back at him, black and empty. This made Kel fall backwards again with a gasp.

The door creaked open, someone stepping outside in front of Kel. Their expression...It was the strangest thing. An expression of surprise without a spark behind the eyes. And this person looked like...

"Sunny?"


	4. Ecstatic

"Sunny?" Real Kel spoke as he lie on the floor, looking up at the monotone, younger version of his friend.

" _Sunny?_ " Hero spoke questioningly while standing a short ways away.

"Omori!" Aubrey shouted happily at seeing him return from White Space.

" _Omori?_ " Now Real Kel spoke questioningly. Why are they calling Sunny Omori?

" ** _KEL!_** " Dream Kel promptly shouted over everyone.

"Kel!" Aubrey shouted at Dream Kel for his rude interjection.

Real Kel stood up then, looking at this strange colorless doppelganger. Ok, so why was he dreaming of Sunny like this, and why is he not called Sunny? Before he really had a chance to consider why however, his dream self spoke up excitedly. "You know Sunny? Oh my god you're not from the future, you're from _a_ future!" A pause from everyone looking at this young blue Kel with confusion. "He's not just me in a few years, he's me from a whole other world! The one where Sunny's from! Where we live in some Faraway Place, and where um-" He shook his head. "Yeah! From there!"

Real Kel spoke up then. "Wait, you all know Sunny? This _isn't_ Sunny?" Aubrey answered. "Nope! This is Omori! He looks a whole lot like him, but he's not Sunny!" Kel looked at Omori. The outfit wasn't one he recognized, even if he tried to assign colors to it. He looked...kind of scary, actually. What did Hero call it, uncanny valley? He waited for him to speak, but it didn't happen. Omori instead slowly raised a hand in greeting, expression unchanging. Well, almost unchanging. It was very slight, but Kel could see something else in his features. A sort of surprise or shock. Well, there were two Kels now, that's probably shocking to anyone.

Dream Kel walked to Real Kel and helped him stand up. "Omori's here now, so we should head and and hang out sometime! Oh, wait, Cool Kel, did you see Basil on your way here?" Real Kel chuckled at that. " _Cool_ Kel? Why can't everyone call me that? But no, I didn't see Basil." "Awwww! Oh well. He's not always home, so we were hoping to catch him. Well, we can all still hang out! We'll just have to catch him another time. Oh! Oh oh oh, Omori, can I take the lead this time? I want to show Big Kel some places!"

Big Kel now? He realized it's probably going to be confusing if they just called him Kel so he didn't complain. It was already confusing just thinking about his younger self in the third person rather than the first. Omori gave a little nod and watched as Dream Kel excitedly ran, slipping on an egg on the floor (Why is that even there?) before scrambling up the stairs to leave. Omori followed, Aubrey close behind. The way Aubrey smiled and glowed around him, he'd think she had a crush on him. He thought Sunny...or Omori? Had a crush on Her. Oh man this is already confusing.

Before Kel could follow along, he felt a hand gently grip his shoulder, Hero stopping his advance. He turned with a raised brow, noticing a slightly melancholic look to him. Yeah, that's Hero alright...

"Um, Kel? I need to ask something." Real Kel was worried. He knew this voice. "Anything, what's up?"

"Mari...passed away where you're from, right?" Yep, Kel did know the voice. Kel sighed, gently patting Hero's hand. "Yeah. She passed away five years ago." It didn't feel like that long. He may not cry much about it anymore, but he always feels that tug when he thinks about her. He really does miss her.

...Wait, What did Hero mean by 'where he's from?'

Hero continued. "Our Mari is still alive." What. "I mean, the Mari from here. I didn't know if you knew or not, and...well, I didn't want to shock you."

Kel took just a second to take that in. Yeah, that makes sense. He would dream about her from time to time, tonight was no exception. Still good to know. "Thank you, Hero. Best brother I could've asked for." Hero grinned happily at that one. They were interrupted by a rather loud shout. "HEY! SLOW KEL AND HERO, COME ON!" _Slow_ Kel?! He took offense to that one, promptly rushing to the exit to catch up. In his rush he did end up getting stuck on the entrance, having to kick a bit before accepting Aubrey and Omori's help.

Dream Kel excitedly shouted about where he wanted to take him: Otherworld! A place with lots of fields, cool aliens, A big trash pit where people throw away cool things, and SPACE PIRATES! He was delighted to show it to someone new, especially his twin! Real Kel did think that sounded pretty rad, Especially the part with the space pirates. He paused however, looking at the ground. Dream Kel spun around to see what the hold up was, causing everyone to do so as well.

Huh. Another keyboard key. This one was an 'A'. He gently picked it up, looking the plastic box over before seeing the little hole it left. Weird that these were even around, but whatever.

He turned to continue following Dream Kel only to find Omori was uncomfortably close. He yelped and took a step back, the monochrome making him seem like a ghost. He held out his left hand, something glinting in his right. Was that a knife?! Kel didn't have the chance to ask why on earth he had a knife before he heard Omori speak.

" _Give it._ "

His voice was quiet, just like Sunny's, but there was an intensity behind it. He was deeply unnerved by this. Okay, better to not let this dream become a nightmare. He dropped the keyboard key onto his palm, only to watch it fall through it, causing the ghostly doppelganger to tilt his head. Omori knelt down and tried to lift it, failing. He spoke again: "...You keep it." It sounded more sheepish than before. Real Kel spoke then. "Um. I have another one of these if you want to try and hold it too?" He did, extending his palm again. The C key fell through Omori's palm as well. Well, he tried to be generous. Real Kel instead gently took the two keys back and pocketed them. They're important, he gathered that much.

"Hey, come on already!" Dream Kel walked over and tugged Real Kel's arm a bit. He either seemed unfazed or unaware of the strange key shenanigans that just went down, instead wanting desperately to go ahead. You know what? Real Kel felt the same way. This dream has been too much weird stuff and somewhat dark stuff, he wanted to have some fun! Come on, let's go already!

* * *

**OTHERWORLD**

* * *

Well that was a workout. Dream ladders: Way too tall for their own good. Dream Kel didn't seem to mind, singing something about it being a thrill? Hero didn't fare quite as well, having to take a breather when he made it to the top. This field was massive, though the horizon was far lower than normal. Was this a tiny planet? Oh that's so cool. Real Kel wondered if he could throw his basketball hard enough to orbit.

It was north of the ladder that he saw the cars and the funky little green aliens. Or alien, one, calling him a tourist. Yeah, kind of! Another floating mirror, another picnic...blanket. With someone on it.

Mari waved everyone over, though Real Kel was a bit slower coming over. Mari smiled at him, that same sweet smile he remembered, though there was a hint of bitterness behind it. Kel couldn't help but feel the weight of her absence when he saw Hero smile as brightly as he did, hugging her tightly.

He knew she wasn't real. Just a dream.

It was only after a moment that he decided to approach, Dream Kel having filled Mari in about who this tall second Kel was. She spoke to greet him. "Hello, Kel!" Aw man, she sounded just like the real thing too. She gently patted the blanket beside her, an invitation to join her and her friends. He felt a little awkward approaching, but still did so and sat down. Hero idly looked up at the sky. Aubrey began to twirl and dance to some unheard song. Dream Kel began munching on some packaged food. Space food? He wasn't sure. He felt oddly alone despite being so close to the others.

The only two he felt like were really present were Mari and Omori. Mari idly fixed up Omori's hair before speaking. "I'm sorry about your loss."

Real Kel was a bit shocked, but spoke up. "I-it's alright. Thank you. It was...a while ago." Mari smiled in that same bittersweet way before she spoke. "I'm sorry I resemble her so much, too. Sunny told me the same thing." She idly looked him up and down before turning to look at Dream Kel. "I'm beginning to wonder if I'm something more than a resemblance."

She however quickly changed the subject. "But you've grown so much! Hero must be so jealous of you!" While Real Kel was thrown off a bit by the sudden change, he decided to roll with it. "He's actually more proud than anything else. I was kind of hoping he'd be more annoyed so I could pick on him!" A little shared chuckle between the two.

They continued to talk. Subjects like if he was in any sports, making sure he was eating healthily. She asked for a moment about his family, but promptly cut herself off with a never mind. This...was nice. It wasn't real, Kel knew this, but that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy the dream. Besides, talking to a dream Mari reminded him of the times he had with the real one, bringing happy memories for him to smile about. There was always that tug in his chest when he thought about it, but he felt happy thinking about those good times. He figured Mari would want it that way.

* * *

Mari waved him off before he and his young dream friends would follow his dream-self's lead. Even though the space pirate ship wasn't there, something Dream Kel called the Mercury Retrograde which _God_ that's the sickest name ever, there was a space bird pirate man to regale them with a few tales of adventure. He was then lead to the absolutely sprawling landfill. In reality, he'd not go anywhere like this. The smell, the possible diseases and sharp things. Here? Well the smell was still a factor, but no need to worry about harm! He spent his time scavenging for weird dream things like weirdly preserved pizza, living mix tapes, what looked like an alien ray gun (That unfortunately didn't work), and a deflated basketball that he gave to his dream self in the hopes of finding a pump for it. He also slid down some of the trash piles on garbage can lids, something he and Omori seemed to both do and enjoy together, something that surprised him given Omori's seeming indifference with just about everything else.

Though Kel didn't realize it, his time within this dream was beginning to blur together. Gone was the lucidity and the awareness, replaced with the mess of joyous emotions a good dream brings. Hanging out with friends, with strange dream people, playing marco-polo in the massive fields of an alien planet, jamming with a jock in a big basketball tent, hitting little flying oranges with rocks and cheering when they poofed away...

* * *

Kel woke up.

He awoke well rested, having slept in just a little, but the dream was still hot on his mind.

That was super weird. Really cool, but super weird. Seeing himself and his friends all younger? Pretty neat. Seeing Sunny as some weird black and white ghost? Weird, he didn't know why he dreamt that. Seeing Mari? Bittersweet. The rest of the dream was just a fun colorful romp through dreamland, so why did some things stick out so poorly? The White Door, the Keyboard Keys, Omori? Where did he get the name Omori from anyway?

Ah, whatever. It's a dream, dreams are weird. He remembered having that dream about being a professional basketball player playing with cartoons against aliens...wait, that was because of the movie he saw the night before. Still, he had a day ahead of him. It was summer, thankfully, but he still had plans to play with his teammates and then go hang out with Basil and Aubrey at the tree house. His little wish to replace the plants with Basil became a full-scale interior renovation, and he was going to help do the finishing touches.

...He remembered something from the dream. There was a little candle-lit memorial in that weird cat room. Was that for Mari? Probably? Still, maybe they should put something like that up in the tree house. Everyone would probably appreciate it. Mari included, wherever she was now.


	5. Basil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Good Night, Basil.

**"I have to tell you something."**

He told me I was wrong.

He told everyone else what happened. How she died from a fall, and how Sunny and I made it look as though she committed suicide.

In a way, it was relieving. Everyone would hate me, and I would deserve it. No "mights," no "maybes." They just will.

But he told me I was wrong.

There wasn't something behind him. Or rather, on that day there wasn't. The only thing that killed Mari was him. It was unintentional, an irrational, regrettable impulse. But it was his hands that did it.

Sunny killed Mari. Not some monster. Not some ghost. Not something else.

Even good people can do terrible things.

* * *

They don't hate me?

...Why?

* * *

I was discharged from the hospital before Sunny. His injury was serious enough to require a bit more time to observe.

His injury that I caused.

Not something behind me. I did it. I wasn't in my right mind, but...I still hurt my friend.

That horrid, horrid night...I felt something clawing through my back. I could feel it trying to tear a hole through my chest. I had my shears with me, I know if it poked through I could stab it. Maybe I would've died too if that happened. I think...I wouldn't have minded dying, that night. I was going to be alone with what we did. If I died, I would have at least taken Something with me.

But then Sunny came into the room. He saved me by doing that. And I wanted to save him. I could see it, the Something that...that I thought killed Mari. It's different from mine. Smaller, yet just malicious. I thought I could kill it. Gouge out it's single eye like cutting off a dead bulb. I thought maybe Sunny could kill the Something behind me, stab its roots as though they were veins, but he just hurt me. He was hurting me, and I didn't know why. I thought it was Something still, forcing his hand to kill again, so I tried harder to save him! I had to save him so he could save me!

I was never stabbing at Something. I was stabbing Sunny. And he...He must have been trying to hurt the Something behind me, but he only ended up hurting me. The only difference was I was armed.

He says he doesn't hate me for what I did. I don't believe him. I took his eye. I hurt him. His blood still stains the wooden floor of my room, even when Polly assured it was long since clean. Maybe only I could see it, now.

I've been visiting him in the hospital. I've seen all of the flowers and gifts everyone else left him. I brought my own. Tulips. Not the white ones I see when I look at him, but yellow ones. Signs of happiness, cheerful thoughts, pleasant memories. I want him to carry these things with him when he leaves Faraway.

When he leaves me.

I gently held his hand. His hands, always so smooth, but always so cold. I wondered if others worried about how cold he felt sometimes, because I've always found it pleasant. Like a cool breeze on an otherwise hot spring day.

I only realized I was crying when he gently wiped my cheek. He was crying too, out of his undamaged eye. We cried together, talking quietly. He doesn't believe anyone's forgiven him either, anyone besides me. He asked me to please believe him when he said he forgave me. If nothing else, we'd still have each other. Always.

Always.

* * *

Sunny was discharged from the hospital yesterday. He's gone now.

* * *

I've been speaking to Sunny over text. We've always kept the topics light. If we needed to talk about something distressing, we'd do it over call.

I'd been having nightmares. He has too.

I've been having dreams of being buried alive. He's been having dreams of being forcefully drowned.

I've been having dreams of being eaten alive. He's been having dreams of being paralyzed and wrapped up by spiders.

I've had a dream where Aubrey killed me. He didn't say anything in return.

* * *

I visited Kel today in the tree house. He was the one that invited me over. No one had been there since Sunny left, and he said he didn't want it getting even more unused than it was now.

He didn't seem to care that the backyard it was connected to wasn't owned by someone familiar. That's Kel for you. I know he'll ask whoever moves in about it though.

He acted so carefree as we both tried to clean up the tree house. Many of the old toys and cards had fallen apart or rotted away, much of it had to be thrown away. Kel kept the Mr. Plantegg plush aside however, he said Aubrey wanted to try restoring it. He talked about the things we did up here, the games, the food, the ridiculous things they did together.

I...couldn't stay there. It was too close to the tree. It was too close. Kel was sitting by the door, I couldn't just quietly leave. He didn't mean to block the entrance, but if he asks why I need to leave I-

I'm so sorry.

I'm so sorry I put her in that tree.

I'm sorry.

* * *

Kel was hugging me. He was petting my hair and telling me it was okay. He forgave me.

I didn't believe him at first. How could he? How could anyone?

But he kept talking. This was over four years ago. I was twelve. I was young, we all were. He said I must have been scared, and it's true. He said what I did was wrong, but he also said he understood why I did it.

He said he understood, and that's why he forgave me.

And it's true. He actually did forgive me. Despite my disbelief, despite the screaming in the back of my head that it was a lie, despite the fear of being hurt by trusting someone who should very well hate me...He forgave me.

* * *

I spoke to Aubrey recently when I delivered the very dirty Mr. Plantegg back to her. I told her about our efforts to clean the tree house, to maybe be able to use it again.

She wanted in.

I told her she was always allowed to come into the tree house, but she corrected me. She wanted to help restore it.

I could see the house behind her, the disarray and dark, the trash that littered the floor, the constant noise of television and advertisement. To her, that tree house must feel like a second home. Maybe it felt more like a home than here.

I told her of course. We'd love if she helped.

* * *

While Kel, Aubrey, and I cleaned the tree house, Polly helped me clean some space in our house.

This room use to be my grandmothers. Thinking of her...It was like a deep weight in the front of my head. I knew if I let it tilt me forward, I'd start crying. But I took some comfort in the fact that she lived a very long life, and that she was able to spend her final days surrounded by those that cared about her. It only barely made it hurt less.

I remember something she told me though. People are a lot like flowers at times. Even if they're thorny, if you help them grow, they'll bloom beautifully. I thought it was a little silly. Some plants are invasive, others poisonous. If you tried to help them grow, they'd just hurt you back.

But Aubrey...She was neither of those. She was my friend. She is my friend.

And I want to help her grow.

* * *

Sunny's here!

Sunny's back! It might be for only a week, but he's back! And he's spending his nights with me!

Setting up the now empty room turned out to be an excellent case of foresight. Or I thought it was at first. He didn't want to sleep in a separate room. He wanted to sleep in the same room as me.

We spent the entirety of the first day together. He did go see the tree house to see how it was being cleaned, but it was rather barren as a result, so it was only a quick visit. We spent the rest of the day revisiting our old hangout spot, reminiscing, asking about our lives. He had begun to take up cooking, and had planned to cook for everyone before he left. He was hoping Hero would help him cook, teach him a few tricks.

What he ended up cooking was simple, and yet delicious. Carbonara, I think it was called.

We didn't spend the entirety of the time he was visiting together, but we spent the nights together. Polly had set up a simple cot for him to sleep on, but he only used it the first two days. We ended up sleeping in the same bed for the majority of the nights. It wasn't meant to fit two, but that really didn't stop him. I'm glad it didn't.

It was the first time in years I recalled him feeling warm.

* * *

Someone bought the house Sunny use to live in. I was right, Kel did ask about the tree house, and they said we could visit it whenever. They just asked we try to avoid entering their backyard if possible, which wasn't a big issue.

I hoped, selfishly, that they would remove the stump that remained in their backyard.

* * *

I woke on a soft bed that wasn't my own. Familiar yet unfamiliar. A curved roof seemingly of leather overhead.

This dream again...

I was always fully dressed when I woke here, in this small house made from a giant's shoe straight out of a fairy tale. Pastel colors and overalls. A flower crown lay waiting on the table beside me, a photo I never took underneath. It was of a ruined violin at the bottom of a flight of stairs.

I never took this picture, but I remember its contents. It was mere moments before.

Before.

_Say it._

Before Mari died.

I gently pocket the photo and set the crown of flowers upon my head. Weightless, belonging. Like it was a part of me here.

There are people waiting for me, just a ways past the park within the old stump. They're always waiting there. But I can't leave without watering my plants. All of them.

Including Something.

It lay in a pot at the end of the bed, buried in fetid soil, branching out as if dead yet growing, a set of teeth hidden beneath the roots. It was much smaller than before, but if it's not watered, it will grow. It will dig into the floorboards and rip them apart. I'll fall deep, deep down then. Somewhere I have never been. Somewhere I know I should never go.

I brace myself mentally. This is never pleasant. Never will be. But I need to do it.

I grip one of the branches. It wraps around my hand, cutting through my skin. I start to bleed.

It hurts. It hurts so bad. It's not like being cut with a knife. It hurts like being kicked into the soil by Kim when I needed my photo album back. It hurts like the last day I saw Grandma alive.

I feel the roots reach my heart as a branch grabs my neck, pulling me over the plant. My neck begins to bleed. My eyes begin to water, and then...I cry. I let myself cry, thick ugly tears mingling with the bloody soil as I sob.

It hurts. It hurts because I hurt everyone. It hurts because I deserve it.

Something lets go eventually. There's no cut on my hand, no harm on my neck. The tears staining my cheek are real however.

...I've watered the plant. I can water the rest when I get back. I'll water them before I wake up, with a watering can and hose, not with blood and tears.

Maybe I can do so with my friends here. Maybe Omori can help me.


	6. Afraid

I deeply dislike this house.

Not because of how it looks or where it is. It looks adorable, being a giant's shoe, and it's in the middle of a lush forest filled with flowers.

I hate what's under it. And I don't know what that is. But when I walk on the wooden floor, I can hear the sound of my footsteps being devoured. If I hop, I can feel the floor ever so slightly creak under me as if there was no support beneath the floor. The one time I actually felt brave enough to try and lift a floor board, Something crawled out of its pot.

Whatever is down there, below this house, is dark. When I walk through this house, I feel like I'm stepping on my own grave.

I never want to stay here. I always water my plants and leave. Tonight, I'm going to worry about the rest later. I want to see my friends before I do anything else here. I just want to see someone after watering Something.

* * *

**VAST FOREST**

* * *

It's a bit of a walk from here to the stump. Through the trees and fog, past the flower fields and the sprout moles. I know they're a bit irrational when lost, but these ones seem to know exactly where they are, simply lounging near the flowers without crushing them. The flowers themselves seem to be doing well, despite me not being around to care for them. Someone else must care for them when I'm away. I still need to keep an eye on the tulips, whoever cares for the rest seem to neglect them, but I make sure they're watered and happy.

Mari's not at the playground right now.

I wish I could decide if I was relieved or not.

I know the Mari in these dreams is fake. She's.

_Say it._

She passed away.

When I see her here, It hurts, because I know it's not real. I know I'll never actually speak to her again. I know I'm just fantasizing. But when he isn't here, it only makes her absence burn more.

Do I want to pretend? Do I want to talk to a Mari in my head and act like everything's fine? Or do I want to focus on reality and not delude myself? I can never decide. It hurts so much either way.

I feel Sad now. Such feelings were palpable here. Like the very sky tints the grass blue. I feel...heavier, like someone placed lead under my skin.

Ah, Basil, Come on! Your friends are just up ahead. If you're going to spend tonight moping, you can do it with them.

The top of the stump was always aglow in a rainbow of pastel colors. My friends are home, tonight. Knock knock, goes to the top of the stump.

The first thing I see is a blur of red. A tidal wave of red hands, accusatory, ready to choke another confession out of me. Ready to end my life and string me up, to sentence me for my sins.

But in a blink, they're gone. And instead I only feel two hands surround me. I feel someone nuzzle into my shoulder, a mop of black hair gently brushing my cheek.

It was Omori.

I gently hug him back. It's...an empty feeling, hugging Omori. There's none of the chill of Sunny's skin, none of the weight. It's like hugging a ghost through a sheet. Yet he seems to always want a hug, a hold of the hand, a brush of the cheek. He wants contact from me, maybe to ensure I'm real.

I don't know who Omori is. He's not simply my dream of Sunny, he's too different. Aubrey, Kel, Hero, even Mari were like their real selves, even if from a few years back. But Omori was something else.

In a way...it was comforting. There was no delusion like with Mari. I don't occasionally forget that I'm dreaming when I look at Omori. His grim presence always keeps me grounded to reality.

"Hi Omori!" I force a smile, hiding the hurt from thinking of Mari. Omori smiles back, a rare sight. "You really missed me, huh? Have you been taking care of my flowers?" He nodded. It was Omori that took care of things in my absence.

I smile, genuinely.

I hear someone else stepping out from under the stump, Aubrey promptly catching me unawares with a hug. I realize I must be shorter than in reality, because Aubrey most certainly is, yet she can still wrap her arms around my shoulders easily. Kel came out next, raising his hand for a high five. I tried to slap his hand with some force, but it never seems to be much more than a weak little clap. Still, he was satisfied with a great big grin. Hero came out last, holding a small platter of bacon and eggs he just finished cooking (I didn't remember the stump having any sort of stove, but I decided not to question it.)

Kel excitedly mentioned taking me somewhere new, somewhere called High Rise Lights. Somewhere new? I couldn't help but be a little excited. I've seen most of this place, from the floating Otherworld to the Deep Well, so somewhere new? I wanted to see. Especially with a name like High Rise Lights, what could that mean? Was it a single building, or a small city? Just how tall was it?

Aubrey took one of Omori's hands as we walked toward the train station. I took Omori's other hand, the only weight in his grip being from the knife we now shared in our grip. Kel excitedly mentioned a delicious pizza place at this new spot, Aubrey talking about how beautiful the constellations were. Hero mentioned there was probably a flower shop there too, considering all the other stores he had seen.

It was a dream, but it was a happy dream. And I knew that when I awoke, everyone would still be there. These were my friends in reality too. Even Omori stood in place of Sunny, who was still just a call away.

I was Happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter chapter for now. Basil will have more to do soon, don't you worry.


	7. Aubrey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goodnight, Aubrey.

**"I have to tell you something."**

No.

No no no no no no.

This can't be right, none of this makes sense. Mari isn't one to raise her voice, Sunny loved to play the violin, Sunny's _not_ a killer.

She looked up to look at Sunny, not realizing her eyes were pointed at the white tile of the hospital floor unfocused. He had collapsed to his knees, and he was still talking. He was sobbing and taking shaky breaths between words.

No. No that's not right either.

Basil's the sweetest person she knows second only to Mari. He'd never do that. Sunny's not a killer, Basil's not someone to frame it as suicide.

She slowly lowered herself to the floor, looking up a few times and blinking hard through the tears welling up in her eyes. If she just closed her eyes he'd be standing again. He wouldn't have said any of this.

Kel stepped forward first, gently lowering himself and hugging Sunny. Kel's telling him it's okay, How is this okay?! How is being told your friend murdered your other friend okay?! How is being told that she was strung up like a fucking prop to escape the consequences okay!?

He-

He really did kill Mari didn't he?

She curled up on the floor, placing her forehead against the tile as she wept.

* * *

She had to be gently escorted out of the room by Hero. In the lapses of misery between sobs, she couldn't help but wonder and fail to imagine what Hero was thinking. His expression was carefully blank, withdrawn. He was deep in thought, glimpses of turmoil occasionally peeking through. He didn't say a word.

He sat next to her as she continued to cry, soon grabbing his arm in desperate need of comfort. He obliged, allowing his sleeve to be cried into, gently petting her hair in small comforting motions. Even now, even in the midst of this, he cared so deeply about his friends. About his remaining friends, she figured.

She wanted to scream. She couldn't. This was a hospital. Basil was asleep. Others were worse off around them. She almost wished she didn't care, because she wanted to break something. She wanted to shatter windows and scream and shout and bang her fists bloody against the wall. For now, all she could do was hold onto her friend and bite the collar of her shirt as she failed to function.

The young man she had feelings for four years ago had killed his older sister. The boy who loved flowers and photography hung her body up in a tree.

Everything was falling apart.

* * *

A day had passed. Aubrey slept at Hero and Kel's house that night, on their couch. Polly offered to allow her to spend the night at her house, but she refused. She knew she couldn't be trusted with Basil's possessions right now.

Kel and Hero went ahead to the hospital to check on the two of them. Aubrey decided to pass. She needed time to think. Kel and Hero's parents were kind, offering to talk to her if she wanted. She rejected, but she was appreciative regardless. Right now, she needed to consult herself.

Mari was not a perfect angel of a person. Rationally, Aubrey knew this. No one is. Everyone has some vice, some issue, some flaw. She knew Mari was a perfectionist, but she never saw the side of her that got angry at failure.

Sunny was a quiet sort, but a friendly one. He didn't talk much, but he listened far more than anyone else. Aubrey could barely remember him acting out in joy or anger, but he was capable of doing so.

Basil was always so shy and worried for others. He apologized too much. He was so easy to upset accidentally, but was never angry at anyone.

...

Mari was a perfectionist. She needed the recital to be perfect, but while she could make herself practice, she could only encourage Sunny. That encouragement became frustration.

Sunny was frustrated. He began to hate how it felt to play the violin knowing he wasn't perfect like his sister. Her frustration was palpable, and it made him feel worse. The pressure was too much. He destroyed his violin.

Mari was Furious.

Sunny was Angry.

He pushed her. Maybe he needed space. Maybe he just wanted her to stop talking and let him have a chance. Maybe there wasn't even an intention behind it.

She fell down the stairs.

Sunny didn't realize what happened. Basil saw it happen and didn't believe she was dead. Basil panicked.

Basil couldn't see Sunny doing something like that. Aubrey couldn't either. Basil didn't want him to get in trouble for something he honestly didn't think he did. So he hung her body up, made it look like a suicide to protect him.

Maybe Sunny didn't believe it either. Maybe he only recently accepted that he was the one that pushed her.

...

It made sense. It made sense and Aubrey hated it. Sunny's story makes sense and Aubrey despised it. Because now she knows it was an accident. Mari falling down the stairs was an accident, and her being hung up in that tree...it was just two scared boys who were afraid of what would happen next.

Now she can't be mad at Sunny. Not in the same way she was a moment ago. Now she can't stay mad at Basil. Not anymore.

So she was left there stewing in this haze that made her face flush and her fists clench. She had no one to blame, no one to direct it at. There isn't a villain, not a scumbag to point to and blame for everyone's problems. She can't even point at herself.

Kel and Hero's parents slowly approached asking if she needed help. She looked down and realize she has slightly torn the couch cushion from her grip.

She had to go to the Hospital.

* * *

Aubrey was _Furious._

She stood in that room and screamed. Sunny simply sat up in the hospital bed and took it. He sat through every individual shout and cry and accusation.

_You killed Mari. You killed my friend and left me alone for years! You hurt me, you hurt Kel, you hurt Hero, you hurt Everyone!_

_You were selfish to hide what you did, you were selfish and a coward! Four years of pain caused by you wanting to avoid what you did!_

_It's because of you that I'll never see her again! And I'm-!_

_I'm-!_

_I'm sorry!_

Sunny's eye went wide at that. His expression of dejected acceptance changed to one of confusion, almost fearful. Aubrey continued.

_I'm sorry I couldn't be there to help you! I'm sorry you felt like you had to hide what you did. I'm sorry for spending these past few days fighting you, for insulting you for not leaving that house, when you so badly needed help._

_I shouldn't have attacked you, I shouldn't have said-_

She hiccuped then, promptly running forward to hug Sunny tightly. He made a noise when she hit his chest, the air being knocked out of him for a second due to the force of the hug. She squeezed and cried against him. She idly noticed Sunny was crying too now, a sorrowful look on his face.

She didn't notice hospital staff, alongside Kel, had entered the room. She had been screaming at full volume, her voice echoing through the walls. She said one more thing before being escorted out.

_I'm sorry I couldn't forgive you sooner._

* * *

Aubrey apologized to Basil soon after she was made to leave Sunny's room. She had to do it quieter this time.

That was okay. Basil heard a lot of it through the wall. She didn't need to say as much.

She forgave him too. She was still plenty angry at him, and she let him know this, but she forgave him. What he did was awful, something under almost any circumstance she'd never forgive! But Basil was just scared and trying to protect his friend.

And for that reason, She forgave him.

And Basil smiled through soft tears.

* * *

Sunny had left Faraway Town.

She hated that the first thought she had was "Good Riddance." That was wrong. She's going to miss him dearly, but she was still angry.

Surprisingly, it was Hero that validated her feelings. He told her he was angry too (given how close he and Mari were, she certainly hoped so) and that she had every right to be. He just asked she not claw through anymore couches please.

She gently punched his shoulder at that. A little shared chuckle before she realized something.

_I don't think I heard Hero ever forgive Sunny._

She wasn't going to ask. Sunny was lucky to have even one of his friends forgive him. Hero is allowed to not do so.

* * *

She never thought she'd miss sleeping on a couch, but here she was. At least Bun-Bun was here. He was starting to get on in his years, being six now. She gently poked his head while calling him an old man. Stinky old man.

Ow! Grouchy old man. Bites with his dentures.

* * *

She got Mr. Plantegg back. Man, he was a mess. She was surprised there wasn't an entire generation of spiders living inside of it, but just about everything else was what she expected. This was going to be a whole project getting him cleaned up.

Speaking of projects, she's got a new one: Cleaning out the tree house. Kel and Basil had gotten started a few days ago, and she wanted to help too. Basil seemed surprised when she said she wanted to help. What, like she's not allowed to want to help her friends? Even if she is still a little angry at one of them. Besides, if whoever buys Sunny's old has has kids, she wants to make sure they have a fun surprise when they look past their backyard.

* * *

Sunny's visiting this week.

They met up shortly after he arrived into town. Guess he wanted to check on her first, given her frankly shit home life. Surprise, it was still shit.

That's okay, for right now at least. She spent most of her time with her friends anyway, not at home. Sunny just wanted to let her know he was in town before heading to Basils for the day. Yeah, she sort of knew! It'd be hard to forget what with Kel's very unnecessary reminders and Basil smiling more in the past few days than he has in weeks.

She let him know she was still mad at him. He smiled at hearing that.

It was two days later where they actually hung out more. Maybe it was the now almost five year gap, but he did seem slightly more talkative. They went for a walk, went swimming in the pond at the secret hideout (Wow, he learned how to swim. Wasn't exactly good at it, but he was seemed much more comfortable in the water,) and went out to eat pizza.

She casually asked if he still crushed hard for her. He never saw Sunny sputter like that. She cackled. She knew very well he didn't, he just wanted to embarrass him. Any and all feelings she may have felt were long, long gone.

* * *

What?

No! What?! Absolutely not! She refused! This was too much!

Aubrey stood in front of Basil and Polly in absolute disbelief. They can _not_ be serious. Basil was inviting her? To live with him and Polly?!

Why?! Sure her home was one loose cigarette away from a literal trash fire, but she slept as far away from that part as possible! She didn't want to be a burden on Polly or Basil.

They continued to insist! _Why_?! She didn't deserve this! She's terrorized Basil for the past few years! She felt like she didn't deserve all of this! The offer of an actual room and a warm bed! And a caring adult and a friend to reconcile with and...  
And...

Aubrey had begun to cry.

* * *

This didn't feel real.

A new, clean bed. An actual room, not converted attic space. No sound of the TV in the dead hours of morning, no trash on the floor, no smell of smoke...

She idly turned to look at Bun-Bun. Even he was sleeping soundly, better than she recalled.

She didn't deserve this...but it was so nice. It was so quiet.

She owed Basil and Polly so much.

Once more, Aubrey had begun to cry. She gently hugged the pillow and muffled herself. A little over a year ago, she almost drowned Basil. She had almost done to him what Sunny did to Mari. And now...He was letting her sleep in his house. Not on the couch for a night, but to stay for as long as she felt she needed.

They were happy tears.

* * *

Aubrey awoke. It took all of two seconds for her to realize she was somewhere different then where she had fallen asleep. The roof was far above her, a thin veil before her. She promptly tilted her head up, realizing she was on a massive pink bed with heart shaped pillows.

She screamed and quickly rolled out of it. What the hell was this!? Where was she?! How did she get here?! She was fully clothed? She even had her bow on! What is this place and why is it disgustingly pink?!

She reached around for a moment before finding something familiar in arms reach, promptly grabbing and holding her bat up and ready for whoever else might be there.

...Oh. Oh this was a dream. She could tell by the bat itself, crooked nails hanging out the edge. She had de-nailed this thing months ago, so either someone had secretly snuck into her room and somehow replaced every lost nail, bends and all...or this was a dream. She took the latter.

Ok, Phew. That mild panic aside made the investigation of this place far less pressing. It unfortunately did not make the room any less horrifically pink. Roses on everything, some way too flashy vanity, candelabras and curtains...What on earth are those statues. Why are they giant anime women.

This dream sucked. Wait! Or maybe this dream's actually amazing, because she hates everything she's seeing...but she had her bat!

Ha! Yes, this was a good dream she decided. Those statues crumbled beneath her strikes! And this table, screw you table! Break it in half with a few good swings! This cake! Oh actually hold on this cake smelled like rosemary...Okay the cake is good, we will leave the cake. This vanity however will not be spared! Shatter the mirror! Crush this box of makeup and watch it leak!

Aubrey was Ecstatic! That felt excellent. This place is super big though, maybe there's more to break elsewhere! She had a bat and a whole nights worth of sleep to break stuff! She will keep striking until the only pink thing left is her hair! The only thing allowed to be pink here!

Stairs? Elevator! Oh god it's just as pink as everything else. Okay well she can't smash an elevator, not safely anyway. It can live, for now. To the Foyer!


	8. Angry

**SWEETHEART'S CASTLE**

* * *

Smash!

Another statue of the anime girl destroyed and in pieces!

_Crash!_

A pot of roses shattered, soil staining the carpet and curtains!

Bash!

A stained glass window obliterated, the shards twinkling like stars as they fall!

**Wham!**

A table toppled, a tea set shattering on the floor!

Bam!

A weird knight head thing being golf-swung hard enough to go flying out a window!

_**Kick!** _

A sprout plant thing getting punted into a fountain of red stuff! Juice? Aubrey didn't care!

Slam!

A vase was lifted and thrown down to the first story, exploding gloriously on impact!

Oh this was a blast. A bunch of ugly things to ruin! Man this was exhilarating. Aubrey didn't really know why she felt so lucid in this particular dream, but she also didn't care. Okay, next room! Art Gallery? Art Gallery! Take this portrait down and SLAM! Into that new knight head critter's...head. Body. Doesn't matter, Kick it away and break something else! A toilet? Weird. But porcelain is still fun to break so shattering it regardless! These paintings suck, they're all ripoffs with more anime on it! Scrape the paint and rip the canvas with nails, both from her hands and the end of the bat! Hit this-

Wait, what is this? Why is there a little black box on this stand? ...Wait, this is a key from a keyboard.

'K' was the letter inscribed on it. Aubrey gently lifted it, only to notice the small hole on the podium it was displayed on. She gently tilted her head to look into it, but only saw black through it. She held the key in her hand, feeling the weight...What was with this thing? It's a keyboard key, it's plastic junk, yet it feels important somehow. Aubrey gently scratched her neck, only then noticing a faint tightness in her throat.

Eugh, this thing gave off a bad vibe. She cleared her throat and pocketed the key. She'll worry about it later, if at all.

...Well dammit, that threw off her mood entirely! Well, she still had a blast breaking things. No regrets, those anime statues had it coming. Soo...What else to do now? Well, this castle's pretty big, and there was that cake upstairs that tasted pretty good. Maybe there was a kitchen somewhere? If there's no food there, there are probably tools. She could maybe get a knife and something to start a fire, cut down some of the curtains and set the castle alight. Of course Aubrey, the way to get the smashing mood back was with arson! She chuckled to herself a bit. Dreams were fun.

Okay, so where's a kitchen then? Would it look pink like literally everything else? Probably. Okay, exit gallery, punt another weird plant critter out of the way, turn right and check out down here. Oh, that door looks different from the rest! It's glass, not wood. Maybe it's a modern kitchen. It's her dream, and she doesn't even know what a medieval kitchen would look like! So yeah, it's probably through here.

...

This is not a kitchen.

This room creeped Aubrey out immensely. It had carpet belonging to a modern house, not a castle. Beige wallpaper, covered in photography that blurred when she looked at it. A ceiling fan, a lamp, and a recliner. She could gently feel some sort of breeze in here, like a window was open.

This was seriously out of place. And deeply familiar in a way she couldn't place. She gently sat down on the recliner. It felt...fine. She didn't know what she was expecting. She just looked around for a moment, seeing if there was some purpose to this room she missed. She continued to feel the breeze from nowhere. She felt...something else. She suddenly felt like she was being watched.

_She felt something behind her._

Okay! Time to leave this room and never come back! She promptly got up and retreated from the room, looking back at the sliding glass door she entered it from. She didn't see anything else in there, no hidden person or camera or anything. But she _felt_ something, or someone, being in the same room as her.

This dream was beginning to veer somewhere uncomfortable. What started as a fun romp breaking things has led to her feeling like she found some cursed key and now she felt like she was being stalked. She would like to wake up now. She gently pinched her cheek...nothing. Okay, light slap on the face. Ow. And...still nothing.

A flick to the temple! Ow! God! What?! Why was she still asleep!? Great! She was stuck here until she woke up. Perfect.

Well...She wasn't in any mood to smash stuff. What was she in the mood for then? This dream felt lucid, but she didn't feel like she had much control over it. Was this a nightmare? And if so, why? What, did her brain not want her to have nice things? She gets to sleep in a new bed in a new room in a house with people in it who actually care about her, so her brain decides now's a good time to have her dream about terrible anime statues and getting stalked.

...Was she still being stalked?

She turned around, holding her bat up and ready, gritting her teeth and putting on a tough face. She smashed everything else, she can smash some stupid dream stalker.

...Nothing there still. Just her and Sunny in the reflection of the sliding glass door.

"Sunny!?"

She spun around, lowering her bat some and getting a better look. Sunny? It looked like Sunny at least, kind of. Maybe Sunny from five years ago? He was so much shorter. Why was he white as a sheet? Questions flooded Aubrey as she looked at this ghost of her friend. The ghost in question looked at her with wide eyes. There was no light in them, no indication they were anything more than glass props, but his expression looked to be one of mild surprise.

After a moment, he opened his mouth and spoke in a whisper. "No." No? "I'm Omori."

Aubrey blinked a few times, just looking at this Omori figure. She relaxed her stance a bit, idly scratching her neck and looking back at the glass door. Nothing in there. The only eyes she felt on her were from this...not Sunny Omori kid. "Uh...Hi?" She watched as Omori raised one hand slowly to wave back. He seemed quiet like Sunny at least.

She was at a bit of a loss. This was weird on a level she's not use to. But...Well if she's stuck here, and if the thing stalking her is just a sunny look alike, that at least means this isn't quite a nightmare yet. "Well...I'm Aubrey. I'm lost and very confused. Can you help me find-" Hm, Kitchen seems unimportant now. "-a way out of here? This place is way too pink, even for me."

Oh! Hold on, this Omori kid was black and white. So far the only think not disgustingly pink she found was that key. Is he related. "Oh, also, can you tell me what the deal with this is?" She asked as she pulled out the key, holding it towards Omori. She saw his eyes widen again, shocked, before he returned to a more blank expression and crooked his finger, gesturing to follow. He then slid the glass door open. Ah shit, of course he wants her to go back in there.

She entered the room, though made her feelings known. "I am _not_ staying in here longer than necessary. What's in here?" She watched as Omori walked to the recliner and lifted the cushion, pointing at the now seatless chair. Oh? There was another key there. An 'E' this time. Once more, there was a little hole underneath it. Aubrey started to peek down it again, but felt Omori's hand grab hers and gently pull. God his hands were cold. Guess he didn't want her doing that.

"So...Do you want these?" He shook his head. "I keep it? What, am I suppose to collect them?" He nodded. This one felt less...bad, at least. No tightening of the throat, no bad aura to it. She pocketed it and promptly left the room, noticing that Omori was replacing the cushion and softening it before leaving as well.

"So, that um...settled, I guess, a way out please?" He nodded and made another motion to follow.

Omori paused a short ways after walking to point at the carnage left in Aubrey's wake, turning and shooting her an accusatory glare. Aubrey just smiled happily. No regrets. He just shrugged and continued on a short ways until he put two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. Aubrey, while putting a pinky in her ear cause ow that loud, could easily recognize that as a way to grab attention. He was calling someone or something else over. She swears, if he's actually calling some big monster-

"Oh, I heard him! Omori?" Okay, not a monster then, people. Who was that? They sounded young, must be some of Omori's peers. He loudly whistled again to signal to them.

"What happened here? Omori, are you hurt? We're coming!" That was a girl's voice...one that was familiar, oddly. She didn't really have any friends drastically younger than her, so who could that be then?

She then saw someone round a corner, someone taller than expected. They had an odd blue hue to them, alongside striped clothes. Omori waved at them, making them wave back and turn away to shout. "Over here! He's with someone else!"

Was that Hero?

She watched as this man ran closer, panting a bit when he arrived and looking over Omori. It _was_ Hero! "You alright? Who's this person with you?"

Aubrey spoke up then. "You don't recognize me?" Her friends, though younger and blue, don't recognize her? Or, hm, maybe this isn't Hero? This white Sunny is named Omori after all-

"Herrooo! Wait up!" Oh okay. Guess she'll just go fuck herself then. She watched as a younger kid approached, a clashing checkered pattern on his tank top. Oh that was Kel, she'd recognize that head of hair and annoying voice anywhere. "Woah! Hero, who is that?" "I don't know, but Omori seems to trust her."

"Oh my god..." That third voice caught her off guard. She looked past the two of them at the third blue kid. A young girl in a nightgown-like dress, a bow in her hair and long black (blueish) hair.

It was Aubrey. A younger one, one she recognized. It was her before Mari died.

She saw her younger self staring up at her older self. She couldn't help but compare how they looked. This younger dream Aubrey was cleaned up, wearing a simple dress and a cute little bow, hugging a clean and seemingly new Mr. Plantegg plushie. And then there was the Real, Current Aubrey. Dyed and tangled pink hair, a white bomber jacket, jean skirt, and a nail-covered baseball bat over her shoulder. And a mean look to her face.

Her dream self then spoke. She spoke one single statement that solidified her opinion of this new, future Aubrey:

"I **_do_ **get pink hair!!!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Doesn't feel like my best work, but if I don't post this now I'll never post it.
> 
> Thank you all very much for reading so far! I've been reading all of your comments and I'm very glad so many have enjoyed my writing. I'll try and keep updates going until it's done!


	9. Enraged

Aubrey was so terribly, terribly confused.

Here she was, standing in front of the clearly younger versions of her friends, and there she saw herself from five years ago. Shorter and cuter and without four years of feeling agitated and alone after the loss of a loved one. And here is this younger self, staring up at the older Aubrey with stars in her eyes like she was meeting a celebrity.

Shouldn't her younger self be disappointed? Or maybe concerned?

Kel tilted his head, inspecting this tall, pink haired Aubrey. "Is that a baseball bat? Are those nails in it?"

"Yep." She had absolutely no reason to pretend otherwise. Even if she never actually hit anyone with the bat, it was for property damage and intimidation. Her headbutt was for taking down other people.

The young Dream Aubrey pushed Kel slightly, grinning widely. "Older Aubrey is cooler than Older Kel! HA!" Kel sputtered. "That's not true! Mine's a sports star, or he's...going to be." "Does yours have cool dyed hair and a baseball bat?" "No." "Does yours have a face that says "I can take on anyone?" Huh?" "No..."

Kel was Sad. Aubrey was Happy.

The Real Aubrey meanwhile just shook her head. "You really shouldn't think I'm cool. I'm not cool. This isn't cool." "It's not?" The younger dream Aubrey asked, making Real Aubrey specify: "It's not. This? Yeah, it does make me feel pretty f-" Mm, Wait. Children present. "-Freaking strong, but that's also cause I was a huge bully. Kel meanwhile is still _suuuper_ annoying, but he's also got his act at least a little bit more together."

She noticed her dream self looking suddenly very downtrodden before she spoke up again. "Hey, don't worry. Use me as an example, alright? You can be strong without having to get a nail bat and hurting others. And that way you'll be even cooler than me when you're older."

"...Can I still have pink hair?" "You _must_ have pink hair, it's important."

She watched as her younger dream self beamed again. What's more, the younger Kel was also happy and smiling. Even Hero was smiling! Hell yeah, everyone wins.

Sunny-Wait, no, Omori was his name. Omori had gently tugged on Aubrey's jacket to grab her attention, pointing towards the main foyer of the castle. She was awfully confused as she watched him just start walking, the others starting to follow.

"Where are you going? Do you all just follow Omori everywhere?"

Kel paused. "...Pretty much, Yeah! He's not always here, so when he is we let him lead!" Aubrey shrugged. Makes sense. She wanted to keep an eye on her younger dream self so she tagged along. A moment into following, Dream Aubrey hopped up to grab her attention.

"...Can I break something with your bat? I have one, but it's smaller. And it doesn't have nails in it." Well how was she going to say no to that? She offered the handle to her younger self. "Knock yourself out, just be careful. Don't hit anything living with it." Her eyes glittered as she nodded, promptly rushing ahead to smash it into a vase with a cheer. Gotta teach the next generation the wonders of property damage. Her dream self only got a few good smashes in before handing it back. It was way heavier than the one she had, and she wants to be able to bonk Kel without the risk of serious harm.

She followed past the foyer into the rightmost halls. Omori seemed to have a path in mind, not slowing down to consider routes. She watched him take a turn up into a kitchen-

A Kitchen! There was one here! Oh and it smelled delightful, like baked goods and rosemary... "Hold up, I'm going to get me something to eat." She noticed Omori turned and looked annoyed, making a gesture to follow which she promptly ignored. Any premade baked goods? Yes! Cake! Muffins! Cookies! She didn't want to eat everything, she wasn't Kel, so she debated what to take. This one! A weirdly purple muffin, it stood out amongst the others. Oh man what is this? It's like a blueberry muffin but...grapes? She thinks? This is weirdly good. Dream food! All the flavor without the worry of calories.

She watched as the others, minus Omori, entered the kitchen as well. Kel ignored the bake goods and just went for a giant bowl of chocolate chips. She was not surprised by that one. Hero approached partially to tell Kel to be careful as to not get ill, than casually wondered aloud if he had time to bake something. Dream Aubrey approached right next to her, grabbing a muffin that was the same shade of pink as her hair. Dream Aubrey paused however, not eating the muffin and instead running to the entrance of the kitchen with it. Omori was waiting there, the absolute faintest hint of impatience on his otherwise blank face.

Aubrey watched as her dream self approached Omori, unwrapping part of the muffin and opening her mouth, making an "Aaahh!" noise and holding it closer to Omori. She watched as after a moment of delay, he opened his mouth and let her feed it to him, blushing and giggling in the process.

Oh dear _god_. Her dreams were tormenting her again. They were being so sappy! Eugh!

Yeah, she liked Sunny when she was younger. Then he killed Mari and even before she found out about that part all romantic interest was absolutely extinguished. Come on dream, Reflect the present!

Well, she finished her muffin at least. And Omori could clearly see her looking at him, gesturing her to follow again. She just wished Dream Aubrey weren't attached to his arm while following him to the servant's quarters.

Omori ignored all of the rooms, passing by two disgruntled mole sprouts and reaching a pink cage at the end of the hall. Sunny pointed towards it and looked at the Real Aubrey. Dream Aubrey tilted her head a bit as she looked inside. "...Oh, is this one of those weird magic keys?"

Aubrey approached it. Yep, she could see another keyboard key inside the cage. Easy fix.

_Crash!_

One cage destroyed. One more weird little key. This one read 'J'. Aubrey scratched her throat and gulped, feeling an odd tightness again. This one felt bad. And as before, another odd little hole was in the floor. She tried to look down it without leaning forward, knowing Omori would protest, but she still saw nothing but inky black.

She turned to face him. "Are you just going to keep bringing me to these keys?" A pause. Then Omori nodded. Real Aubrey sighed in frustration as Dream Aubrey spoke up. "They're important!"

"How are they important?" A pause before her younger self responded. "I don't know! I just know they are. Omori wouldn't have you get them if they weren't."

"God, fine. As long as they all don't feel this crappy to pick up!" Omori nodded. That had better be a nod of confirmation.

Omori made another motion to follow, and follow she and her dream friends did. It was partway out of the castle, within the rose gardens in front of it, that she witnessed everyone getting ready to fight the little knight mole things. Aubrey's nail covered bat could take one down in one hit, something that wowed the others. She watched Kel kick a basketball into one, Hero slamming it as well with a frying pan. It was only when Omori stepped up to stab it that if was finished.

Oh great. The one thing that actually reminds her of Sunny after he came out of his home, and it was the fact that he carried a knife. She idly put a hand over her stomach, where Sunny's knife had cut her one year ago. It wasn't a deep cut by any means, no real harm or scar, but it was certainly a very unpleasant surprise. Maybe fitting for the unpleasant person she was then.

The rest of the dream friends were having a tea party while Omori lead Aubrey through a crack in the garden wall. In between the almost jungle like trees was the next key. 'H'. This one didn't feel bad like the previous one. Once again, Omori grabbed her wrist to prevent her from looking into the hole left behind.

Omori held up his hand with two fingers extended, speaking quietly. "Two more here." "Does something happen when I get all of them?" "Maybe. Dunno." Helpful. She returned in time to see Dream Aubrey chasing Kel with her own non-nail bat, Kel cackling while running. A large tea stain on her nightgown was a clear answer to what was going on. Hero stood up and was about to shout at the two of them, but Real Aubrey just put a hand on his shoulder. "Just let em go. This will solve itself."

She heard a donk from behind a bush and Kel begging for mercy. Excellent.

Omori pointed towards a large statue of some anime lady in the center of the garden. It was about halfway to asking what the password was before Aubrey slammed it's head hard enough to decapitate it, simply kicking the rest of it over to reveal ladder underneath. She heard Kel shout from behind her. "Why didn't we just do that before!?"

Down the ladder was a dungeon of sorts. Dank and dark, with...pickles everywhere. Okay, weird, but not really worth dwelling on. She followed Omori through a few small archways to the proper prison cells. The few guards were no match to the might of bat, nail, and knife, allowing her easy access to a particular cell. Yep, another key. This one was 'I'. This one didn't feel bad to pick up. One more to go, apparently.

Back the way they came. One more ladder to climb, until she saw what looked like an absolutely ruined stage. Just as pink as everything else. Man, she was hoping to smash it, but it was already smashed! A massive hole was torn into the stage. No more performances here.

Why was Hero growing flustered? Why was the Younger Dream Aubrey chuckling _with_ Kel? "Explain what's so funny." "No don't-" Hero tried to stop them, but it was too late. Kel started. "Hero was on some weird dating show here!" She watched as Hero covered his face.

" _Go oooon~._ " Aubrey asked, causing her younger self to start laughing as Kel continued. "She was the WORST! She's the one you've smashed all the statues of! But oh she was SMITTEN with Hero!" Now Aubrey was cackling alongside her younger self. Even Omori had cracked a little smile.

It was after she wiped her eye that she saw Omori motion to her to come closer. As she approached him, she heard her younger self speak up. "I thought they patched this up?" Hm, she idly looked around the hole. She could see some nails poking out. Maybe those patches got removed?

Omori pointed towards his own eyes, then Aubreys, before pointing down the pit. Look down it? She did, gently looking over the edge to see what was down there. Hm, not the inky blackness from those smaller key holes.

Aubrey was falling.

She must have been pushed. She was suddenly plummeting into darkness, barely able to register a light above her as she spiraled. She was screaming.

She landed with a thud on wet carpet, reeling and writhing for a moment before she got her composure. That...didn't hurt as much as she was expecting. The hole she fell through was quite a ways up, and yet that fall only felt like she fell a few feet.

Was she pushed?! Who did it? Was it Hero in getting revenge for his embarrassment? Or far more likely was Omori, considering how sketchy he's been and owning a fucking knife. He might've just tried to kill her!

Eugh, this carpet was disgusting. Wet and covered in moss. She hoped it was moss and not mold. She got up and wiped herself off before shouting up above. "HEY! ANYONE?!" A pause. No response. No one was looking down here for her.

Okay...so where was this then? The smell of wet paper assaulted her, a very particular scent. This was a library of sorts, a very old, very abandoned one. That would explain how dark it was, but she could still see a little bit through it.

A little bit forward she wandered, holding the railing of the stairs carefully as she descended to avoid missing a step and falling. There was something at the bottom of the steps, a faint glow like a spotlight illuminating something. Only when she got closer could she recognize a pattern: A red and white mix of checkerboard tiles. A picnic blanket. And on it...

And sitting on it was Mari.

She was exactly as she remembered her five years ago. The sole difference was the faint blue tone to her, like the other dream people she saw up top. She was sitting there, idly packing up a few things into her picnic basket before she turned to face Aubrey, a bittersweet smile on her.

"You dyed your hair Pink after all." She spoke without surprise, just with melancholy-poisoned praise.

Aubrey didn't speak, just slowly approaching her. She lowered herself to her knees in front of her, dropping her back a shorts ways away. "M-mari, I-" She was already beginning to cry. Dammit, let her say a single word, please? "I-i'm sorry I've been so-such a jerk since you...S-since-" She couldn't.

She jerked forward and hugged her, nuzzling against her and beginning to sob against her. She missed her so much. She looked so real, so alive. Mari gently wrapped her arms around her, shushing her. "Aubrey...I'll accept your apology but, I'm not who you think I am-"

"Just let me have this." Aubrey choked out. Mari didn't speak then, just hugging her friend back.

Aubrey lost track of time then. She didn't want time to move forward. She just wanted to stay here now, hugging her lost friend, feeling her hand pet her hair. Even when she lost the energy to cry, she just stayed there against her.

It wasn't fair. She felt just like her. She spoke and moved just like her. She sounded just like her. But it wasn't her. And it will never be her again.

"Aubrey." She finally spoke up again, Aubrey tilting her head up to look at her. She still wore her same sad smile. "You need to leave eventually."

Aubrey felt her heart skip a beat at that. She knew. And she hated it. Mari kept speaking. "I know it's hard. And I know it hurts. But you still have a life to live." Mari stood, gently pulling at Aubrey to get her to stand as well, sharing in one more hug. "As long as you remember me, and the times we had, then I'll still live on." Aubrey hiccuped, so quietly responding. "Promise?"

"Promise." She finished before she made a light gesture past the blanket. Aubrey could see it through the dark: One more key. A void in the shadow.

She started to step towards it, but halted. She was still holding one of Mari's hands. Her fingers were still curled around her.

Mari spoke. "You can do it. I know that it's hard to do. Just take one step at a time."

She slowly removed her hand as she stepped further ahead, leaving Mari's contact entirely. There, in the dark, surrounded by familiar flowers, was one more key. 'L'.

That's the last one. And there was a hole. She could see it. Just like the key, it was a void in the shadow. A spot of pure black against the stygian blue. She looked down it.

She saw hair. Tangled, messy hair, pouring out of the hole like water bubbling up a backed up drain.

She felt it cut into her neck. She felt herself be dragged down to the floor, the hair further wrapping around her neck, choking her, threatening to remove her head from her shoulders. She tried to pull on the strands, but only felt them cut into her fingers like fine wire. She was trying to scream, but she couldn't. All she could do was make choked noises as she struggled uselessly.

Aubrey was Afraid.

She looked down to see Mari standing over her. She still had that same smile...it felt sinister. It felt wrong. She was dying, and Mari was just smiling.

Because it's not Mari. And it was stupid to delude herself that it ever was her.

"Close your eyes-" Mari began, "-And you'll leave this dream."

Struggling in pain and misery, she winced and pinched her eyes shut as tight as she could.

* * *

Aubrey shot out of the bed she was sleeping in, promptly falling onto the floor below and coughing loudly. She clawed at her neck, only to find it unharmed, her throat unobstructed. Her lungs burned however. Was she holding her breath in her sleep?

She was still reeling when she heard the door open. She turned, finding Basil looking in with a worried expression. Ah, she did hit the floor hard, and her coughing was awfully loud...

"Aubrey?! Are you alright?" She grimaced. "Of course I'm-!" She stopped and coughed. This was Basil, if you were allowed to be vulnerable around anyone, it'd be him. "...Not. I'm not alright. Ugh, Could I have a glass of water?" Basil nodded and quietly left the room, allowing Aubrey to right herself and stand shakily. There was spittle all over the floor, she was surprised she didn't end up vomiting. Deep breaths. Fill the lungs with air slowly, let the body normalize. Idly use the blanket with her foot to wipe up the little mess.

Basil returned with a glass of water, Aubrey taking it and sipping slowly. Her throat was a bit scratchy from the coughing fit, but otherwise fine. Basil asked if she needed company or was fine for the night.

That dream was...a mess. An absolute mess. It was some ungodly hour, Basil was woken up and she didn't get enough sleep. She'll save it for later. She doesn't want to burden him anymore than she already has.

He nodded and said she could wake him or Polly if something came up. They wouldn't mind, they just want to help. She deeply, deeply appreciated that, even if she could never actually get herself to bother them.

She sat on the bed alone. Bun-Bun, despite being woken by the commotion, quickly returned to sleep as she sat there. She needed to sleep, but she didn't want to dream. She did eventually fall back asleep, and despite her wishes she did dream. Her dream however was not lucid. It was vague, unmemorable, a mish-mash of colors and thoughts and sounds, and she couldn't have been more thankful when she woke.


	10. Tree House Talks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People's lives are more than their dreams, you know?

It had been five days since Aubrey scared me awake. It was the very first night she stayed here after we got a space ready for her, and it ended with her having a nightmare. She didn't tell me much about it, partially because she seemed uncomfortable talking about it and I was not about to pressure her. From what she told me, she dreamt that Mari killed her.

Even hearing her name still made the skin on the back of my neck crawl. Hands using their fingers to gently crawl up my spine. I've had a great many nightmares of similar, but unlike Aubrey, I deserved them. I offered to listen if she wanted to vent or talk about similar fears and frustrations. From her attitude, I don't think she'll take me up on that offer, but I offered it regardless.

Aubrey isn't at my home for most of the day, usually only arriving in the evening to sleep. She was very picky about actually eating any of the dinner Polly and I made for the first few days, but she seems to not mind much now. I've been helping feed her bunny too, though he's unfortunately very bitey. Aubrey says Bun-Bun's always been like that.

I think this is going well so far! She might not admit it, but I can tell she's sleeping easier. Other than the first night, she's not had any night terrors, and she's thanked Polly and I a frankly ridiculous amount of times. It was the least we could do. She's my friend, after all. Friends help each other.

* * *

Kel arrived at my house to help carry some plants I bought to the tree house, though he was very shocked when he saw Aubrey was present. He was even more shocked when he found out she was sleeping at my place now.

His jeers about us dating was very quickly silenced when Aubrey grabbed his collar. She can be intense, but I don't think I heard her growl like that before...Also I thought she was dating Kim?

Kel's jokes aside, we all grabbed something to carry over to the tree house. Aubrey carried several pillows and blankets she salvaged from her house, alongside a few garbage bags she kept pocketed. Kel helped with the heaviest stuff, carrying two large pots of budding flowers, Hyacinths and Pink Tulips. I carried my camera and new photo album, an old Boombox Aubrey wanted to bring, and a small gift for Kel that I kept hidden from his sight.

We made it to the tree house with our new route, through a small clearing behind Kel's house to avoid his new neighbor's backyard. The tree house was really starting to look better now, not just restored but made into something new.

Aubrey set up the pillows and blankets around the cleaned up table, setting her boombox down nearby and putting on some music. It...really wasn't my taste, but she kept it turned down low and Kel seemed to enjoy it, so I'll deal with it for now. Kel set the two pots down by the window, ensuring they'll get plenty of sunlight. I took a picture of him setting one of them down. He seemed very proud of what we've done, and he's done a lot just by offering to carry the heaviest things.

It was when we were seated that I presented Kel with his gift: It was a very small cactus. He seemed genuinely interested in my plants recently, so I figured maybe he'd like one? Plus, it's a Cactus. Not only is it easy to take care of, but I think it's fitting for someone like him. Hardy and able to bloom in even the toughest conditions.

He adored it. He immediately dubbed the small cactus his new son. He said he wanted to find a tiny jersey for his new tiny son.

* * *

We had decided to play some cards. Specifically, Texas Hold'em. Aubrey taught me how it works, I understood the basics but not much else. We weren't about to be betting real money, so what we did bet was something small: Whoever wins gets to pick the next hang out spot. We were using points to bet, I had a spare piece of paper to tally how much we all had. We played two practice hands and then started in earnest.

Kel had absolutely no poker face, as it turned out. Somehow, I don't think Aubrey was surprised. He held his hands to his new cactus child to get their advice on his hand.

The cactus child's advice was always terrible.

It was during the next hand that Kel spoke up however. "Oh! I just remembered, I had the coolest dream last night!"

"Was it Space Jam again?" Aubrey deadpanned. "No! Not this time, it was way more in depth than that! I've had this dream a few nights now. Kim was a weird little dinosaur gremlin-No offense Aubrey it's just how I dreamed her-and her and a kid version of me stacked up on each other to challenge me to basketball!" I watched as Aubrey rolled her eyes. Yeah, that was a pretty standard Kel Dream alright. He continued however. "I won because the little Kim dinosaur got annoyed and threw the kid me _at_ me."

"Trust me, if I could throw your younger, more annoying self into your current, moderately less annoying self I would." "Well maybe that's why Kim did it! But after that this big green bear guy covered in candy challenged me, so in order to match his height, kid me stood on my shoulders! It was the tag team of the century. It was beautiful."

"Oh yes, I would've loved to see it." Aubrey spoke sarcastically. "To watch you inevitably hurt yourself."

I spoke up to ask: "Do you mean his kid version hurting his current version? Or them accidentally hurting themselves?" "Both." We shared a snicker.

"You did see it though! Or, I guess it was dream you. It was a real young you, no pink hair. And Hero was there too!"

"Wow, way to leave Sunny in the dust. He moves away and he's not allowed in your dreams anymore?" Aubrey snarked some more.

"Oh no he was...kind of there? It was weird, he was spooky went by a different name. Omori? Something like that."

_What._

I noticed Kel and Aubrey were staring at me now. I only then realized I dropped my cards.

"Basil? Are you alright? You went pale." Kel spoke up in concern. Aubrey's concerns were elsewhere. "Holy shit you had a straight?"

"Kel?" My voice shook slightly. "Did you say Omori?"

"Yeah! I don't know what it means either." Aubrey spoke. "Was it a play on Mari?" "I don't think so? Mari was there too. I just didn't want to mention that cause, y'know." "Fair enough. Thank you for that."

I ignored the guilt at hearing her name again and kept speaking. "Was this Omori black and white?"

"Yeah! He was like a ghost!"

"Basil...How did you know that?" Aubrey asked with in a clearly confused tone. I ignored her for just a moment to keep talking.

"Was there a big purple ball monster? Named Boss? Was he hiding behind a tree?" There, that's the most specific thing I could think to mention. If he didn't know that, I could delude myself that this was some cosmic coincidence. Unfortunately, I could not. Kel's face was filled with shock at the description. "Basil? Are you a mind reader or something? How-?"

"I've had the same dream. For months. There's us three plus Hero but we're all younger. Mari's there too, and Sunny isn't Sunny, he's called Omori. He wears a black tank top and carried a steak knife."

Kel, rather than trying to cut me off, started to add on to my description. "There's a weird colorful stump that's way too big on the inside, it has egg on the floor and a giant creepy yellow cat, and Omori lives in the white door there! Holy shit, did we have the same dream?!"

Aubrey, who had been quiet for a moment, spoke up. "Kel, did...you find any weird keyboard keys in that dream?"

"YEAH I DID! Wait, YOU TOO?!"

"I did. Omori had me run around and collect a whole lot of them in big pink castle-"

"Sweetheart's Castle?" I thought aloud, on accident.

"Wait, what? It's called _That_? I hated that castle so much. I broke a lot of it. Sunny, the weird black and white one, just had me pick up these weird keyboard keys."

Kel spoke. "I found a few of those too, on some like, alien planet campsite?"

Black Keys? That I was confused about. I'd been to that place, Headspace, a great many times and I didn't recall any weird keys sitting around. "Hey, I want to make a decision!"

The two were looking at me. "You have the floor." Aubrey said.

"So I won this poker hand thing right? So I get to decide what we do. So if we're all sharing this dream, we should try and meet each other in it. That way we'll know it's something weird!"

Kel tilted his head and raised a brow. "Basil, it's already pretty weird. We've all apparently dreamed of the exact same place? With the same black and white Sunny? And the same black keys? Wait, didn't you say you've been having that dream for months?"

"Uh...Yeah. B-but I don't see a younger me, I'm the only Basil there."

"Every time I dreamed of them they said Basil wasn't there that day. I think they mean you. Like, the real you, not some dream version."

"O-oh...What does that mean...? Oh god, what does any of this mean?" I was starting to feel a bit stressed.

"Hey! No more bad vibes you two!" Aubrey shouted at us both, snapping me out of what was likely going to be a spiral. "I don't know what the fucking weird dreams are, but I do know that they're _just_ dreams. So even if we're all in some weird dream pact, that doesn't mean anything more than us sharing weird dreams. We could have dreams about disarming nuclear bombs and Kel failing math would still be more pressing."

"Hey!" "Work harder so that joke doesn't become funnier."

I...guess she's right. Yeah, those dreams might be lucid and re-occurring, but they were still just that: Dreams. They never changed his life, didn't change his days awake. He still had the same hobbies, the same friends, the same plants.

"So, that out of the way: Basil, you only won this hand. You still have a ways to go before you decide our hang out plans."

"Wait, before we continue-" "Kel I swear if you're about to show your hand and say you had a straight flush-" "I had trash that's not what I wanted to ask. You guys have seen us in our dreams, right? I'm there as a kid, so are you Aubrey, and Basil are you there _as_ a kid?"

"I think so? It's hard to tell."

"That's a-okay. Sunny's not there, only his weird clone. But Hero is always there too! He's not a kid, but he is younger."

"Point?" Aubrey asked.

"Do you think Hero's having these dreams too?"


	11. Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goodnight, Hero.

**"I have to tell you something."**

Hero had always thought he had a pretty good grip on his emotions. He was always sure he knew how he felt about particular matters, He knew when to withhold his feelings and when to release them. He knew what it felt like to be jubilant, and what it felt like to be in the deepest pits of depression.

He recalled how he felt at Mari's funeral. Guilt. Despair. Grief. Loss tainting all of his positive feelings like venom sinking into his blood. For a year after, he let it seep from him until it slowly began to recede. Now, though his heart still weigh heavy, he is able to study, he is able to be with friends and family, he is able to smile and laugh. He was able to live again.

Hero had just lost his grip.

Hearing what Sunny described, he didn't know what was happening anymore. First came the doubt that this was even reality, that this was some horrid nightmare or cruel joke. Then came the emotions: An anger that burned through his skin. Worry for his friend. Denial that Sunny was his friend. Relief that he was not at fault for her death. Guilt for even considering such a thing. Desperation that he wake up sometime soon. Panic when it became clear this was reality. Confusion when he saw Kel, despite his clear turmoil, hug and forgive Sunny. Disgust that his brother could forgive so easily. Shock at thinking of his brother in such a way. Pity for Sunny and Basil, two scared kids. Denial that they even deserved pity.

It went on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on-

Hero felt his mind fall apart. Like an engine pushed beyond its limits, shaking itself to pieces.

He needed to direct his mind elsewhere, fast.

Aubrey.

She had collapsed onto the hospital floor. She was loudly sobbing and shaking. She was handling this worse than him.

He needed to help her.

* * *

Hero had gently lifted Aubrey up to stand and guided her outside the room, to sit on a few chairs outside the room. He'd see Aubrey take occasional looks at him. He wondered how he looked? Not how he cleaned up, but what expression his face was making. Was he portraying some emotion he didn't know he was feeling? It didn't matter, he had to be strong for Aubrey. He'll have to be strong for Kel later.

He'll let himself be weak afterward.

He felt his sleeve being gripped tightly. Aubrey was crying against him, muffling herself in his shirt. He gently pet her hair, trying to comfort her. There was nothing he could say, so he comforted her through touch and presence. He was right here with her, something to grab as things fall apart.

* * *

That night, Hero did not sleep.

Aubrey was staying the night at his home, as she should. They all needed each other right now. He couldn't stand the thought of Aubrey sleeping a day after that confession in her uncaring home. Unfortunately, it meant he had to be quiet.

He stood in his room, looking in the mirror to inspect his face while Kel snore nearby. He was jealous he could sleep so heavily, now of all nights.

His expression was neutral, yet he noticed things he was doing subconsciously to keep it like that. He was holding his breath, so he made himself breathe. He was gritting his teeth, so he made himself unclench his jaw. Yet as he looked at his reflection, he couldn't help but think...

_It wasn't my fault._

He was so close to her, and yet he thought she committed suicide. He thought, for years, that he was oblivious to clear signs of distress. He thought he was ignorant of her feelings. He thought _what if._ What if I had been closer? What if I gave her space? What if I pushed to hear her feelings? What if I noticed something sooner?

What if she didn't love me? Would she be alive then? What if I didn't enter her life? Would she ever have ended it?

But now he knows she didn't commit suicide. She was killed by her brother. It was accidental, but that didn't make him any less guilty.

And somehow, he felt relieved. _It wasn't my fault._ It never was! He did nothing wrong! He did care for her, and she cared for him! She wasn't secretly unhappy, she wasn't suicidal, she was happy.

And he hated feeling relieved. He shouldn't. He should feel horrified. He should feel angry. He should want to kill Sunny. He should want to repent in some way for feeling good in any way about this revelation.

Shouldn't he?

* * *

Aubrey forgave Sunny the following day.

Hero didn't understand why, but he also knew it wasn't his decision to make. They would decide if they forgave him. He would decide if he forgave him.

He decided he did not.

He hadn't spoken to him since the confession yesterday. He had no reason to. He wanted nothing more to do with Sunny. This did not mean he held any animosity for him. He wanted Sunny to heal, he wanted Sunny to move on and live his life happily. He wanted nothing for Sunny other than a bright future! Mari no doubt would want the same thing.

But that doesn't mean he forgives him. That doesn't mean he should help him reach said future.

Sunny killed his own older sister. Sunny killed Mari. Sunny killed the love of Hero's life.

As far as he's concerned, he and Sunny stopped being friends four years ago.

* * *

Basil was discharged from the hospital today. Hero helped him get home alongside Kel. Aubrey spent the day with Sunny at the hospital.

He didn't think any less of her for doing so.

He spoke with Basil in private shortly after they arrived at his house. Hero wanted him to tell him his side of what happened that night, if he could. Basil was willing.

From Basil's perspective, at the time, he didn't see Sunny kill Mari. He saw something behind him do so. A monster. Some malicious monster.

Basil apologized for sounding silly, but Hero told him not to. He wanted him to go on. Tell him about this monster. About what he saw, whether he still thinks it's real or not.

Basil saw this monster kill Mari. Sunny didn't seem to realize what happened at first, he and Basil deciding to carry her back to her bed. When it became more clear what happened, it was Basil who came up with the idea to hang her body.

He said he didn't want Sunny to get in trouble for something the "monster" did. He said he honestly didn't believe Sunny did it, at the time. Hero told him he didn't have to defend himself, he understood.

Hero told Basil he wasn't mad at him. It was a lie, though only by a little. His anger was justified and controlled.

He understood why he did what he did. He was twelve. That amount of stress, shock, and trauma at such a young age...No one deserved anything like that. His denial of Sunny's involvement was reasonable, his reaction made in the moment during a very compromised state. He was trying to protect his friend, and the guilt of what he did clearly ate at him for years.

For that reason, Hero forgave Basil.

* * *

Sunny had left Faraway. He moved away, a few days later than planned, but he was gone now.

Hero felt Sunny had left much sooner than that, in a way. His friend was gone, and had been gone since he confessed.

He wasn't terribly upset, however. Of course he was still wrestling with his feelings, everyone was. He had friends to lean on, and he was a friend to be leaned on. They would all support each other.

He knew Sunny wouldn't be alone either. He still had the numbers of his remaining friends. He knew he and Basil would stay in touch.

* * *

He really wished his friends in his dorms were less polite and concerned.

They clearly noticed something was up, but he really didn't want to come clean. Not because he didn't trust them, but because...well, he wasn't sure if they were equipped for it.

Hey, Sorry I've been so gloomy, I found out my past lover didn't commit suicide, but were killed by their little brother in a fit of anger.

That's not exactly an easy topic to talk about.

* * *

He had a nightmare.

It didn't feel like one, but it was one.

He dreamt he had killed Sunny.

He dreamt he had smashed his head in with a tenderizer.

What made it worse was how he felt in the nightmare: He felt pleased. Satisfied. Not some manic feeling of vengeance fulfilled, not dread or anger. He felt calm and sated.

It was wrong. It was so, so wrong.

He knew he was angry with Sunny. Enraged, even. He had every right to be. But he didn't wish such things on him consciously.

What would Mari think?

Oh no. He just had to wonder. Now the guilt was flooding in.

He curled up quietly on his bed. He didn't want to wake anyone else.

* * *

He decided to message Sunny.

It had been months, but he reached out. He was curious if Sunny would even respond. He was also curious why he reached out in the first place.

Sunny did respond, one day after Hero's first message.

It started slow, one or two messages a day. Then it sped up, only to become incredibly awkward. Both were avoiding certain topics. Both afraid to start new ones. They would talk about something far beyond either of them wanted to.

Still, it was good knowing Sunny was doing alright. He had moved into his new home, he was actually growing interested in cooking which Hero found surprising, and he was seeing a therapist. All good news.

He kept in touch sparingly, mainly small updates about his life and asking cooking questions.

* * *

Sunny's visit lined up with his return home. He wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

What was a good thing was seeing his friends again. Basil was clearly doing better, and Kel and Aubrey seemed like they were getting along marginally better, which any progress on that front was a miracle.

The most interesting part of the visit however was when Sunny asked Hero to help him cook a meal for his friends. It was something easy, but that didn't mean he didn't want help. Hero obliged.

He didn't know how he felt about Sunny anymore. He considered him nothing more than an acquaintance now, both being polite to cook for their friends. Yet he clearly cared still for his well being. Was that odd?

The meal was very good. Everyone loved it. Hero gave all the credit to Sunny as he mostly only gave advice and helped mix a few of the ingredients. He must admit, he's never seen someone dice ingredients that effectively. Sunny's handling with knives was both impressive and mildly concerning.

He did not forgive him.

* * *

Hero opened his eyes. He was thirsty. He needed a drink.

He idly got up off the floor and started to walk towards the kitchen. Man it was dark out, he couldn't see a thing.

Hm? Oh, there was a cup of water. A tentacle coming from the dark presented it to him. A little thank you as he took a sip.

...Oh he was dreaming. That would explain not only the water providing octopus tentacle, but also why he didn't scream the second he saw it.

He took a moment to look around. It was...extremely dark. If there was anything here at all.

"Are you...lost?" A feminine voice spoke up. He turned to see a few more tentacles, alongside a single eye looking back at him. If he squinted, he could barely make out a shape, like a woman looking down at him.

"Uh...I think so, yes. Where am I?"

"The Abyss...Don't worry. It's not as scary as it sounds..."

Hero turned to look around a little more. He could very faintly make out movement. Are those fish? Oh! Oh The Abyss as in the deep ocean. That's still pretty scary, but less so than an actual void. Well he didn't want to spend his night in someplace darker than the bedroom he went to sleep in. "I'm glad it's not too scary, but I do want somewhere with a little more light. Can you help me head up?"

"Certainly..." Well they were nice at least. He watched a tentacle move down for him to step up on, lifting him higher. He didn't question why he was able to drink water despite being underwater. Or why he was dry. It was a dream, and though he may not know it, he wasn't fully lucid quite yet.

"I'm very sorry..." His tentacled comrade spoke up. "Sorry about what?" "About you...arriving here." "Oh, you don't need to apologize. It's not for me, but I'm certain the abyss is a nice home for lots of fish. Is it a nice home for you, Ms...?"

"Abbi...It is not my...first choice. But I do enjoy the dark..." "As long as you're comfortable here, then that's fine! Nice to meet you, Abbi."

"We're here..." Hero squinted a bit as he saw a hole above him beaming light down below. "Thank you, Abbi."

"If you need me...Look for me. Red Tentacles in Little Pools..." The tentacle he was riding on lifted up into the light.

He stepped off, turning to see indeed this octopus woman was Red in the light. Or, her tentacle was at least. He found himself standing...well, still underwater, but much higher up.

There was a paved highway here stretching across the ocean floor. He could see the path to his right descend back into the inky black of the sea, but the left path seemed to stretch on! He saw plenty of fish swimming here and there, some looking normal, others absolutely not. Was that a turkey? With black and white stripes? Swimming in the ocean? Oh. A Zebra Turkey Fish. Ha ha. His dreams had a terrible sense of humor, it seemed.

Well, might as well see what's down here.

...Hold on, that clam. Something inside of it is standing out like the sorest thumb. Everything here past the Abyss was colorful, of cool blues and pastels, yet here was a small black thing that seemed darker than the abyss he just came out of.

A Keyboard Key?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen I've only ever been to a community college, so excuse my misunderstanding of full colleges and their dorms. I'm not about to dive into research for one chapter about magic mind adventures.


	12. Sad

Hero idly followed the underwater highway as he held and inspected the key within his hand. 'S' it read, and it felt quite odd in his palm, like a die. This clearly belonged to a computer keyboard, but why it was in the mouth of a clam he may never know. It felt important somehow, so he held onto it. Maybe it's a sort of good luck charm?

He passed by a very irate alligator man at a toll booth, shouting and asking how he managed to get to the other side without him seeing. Apparently "through the Abyss" wasn't an acceptable answer, and this gator didn't know anyone named Abbi, so he just let him shout as he continued on by.

He was approaching another one, and this next Gator seemed very much ready to fight. Maybe he was warned by the first one? Regardless, Hero did not want to scrap with a large alligator man, so instead turned a sharp ninety into a cave entrance. It was dark, but not terribly so, walking around the stalagmites and columns, seeing what he first thought were underground sharks zipping by before he realized they were fin-shaped critters. Glowing coral and seaweed illuminated the darker corners of the cave in bright neon light, providing a beautiful rainbow of colors as he progressed. The deep sea held quite some beautiful sights. Wait, that one's a plastic bag. Less beautiful.

Through the cavern and out the other end, he stepped into somewhere he could not immediately classify. It was a massive structure of sharp right corners and smaller pools, some stacked within one another, others pouring like waterfalls. Metal step ladders lead in and out, above and below, and round electronic lights illuminated this plateau of cyan tile and smooth concrete.

It was as though hundreds of indoor swimming pools were slammed together, upside down and sideways, cut in half and over extended. The smell of chlorine hit him has he stepped closer, wanting to investigate this structure. This was bizarre, even for a dream.

* * *

**Swimming Schools**

* * *

Hero approached a large set of stairs up to the higher levels of this tiled structure, idly looking over to look at the few people he could see swimming in it. He saw some odd creatures diving in and out, alongside lifeguard chairs near most of the bodies of water. One particular lifeguard chair towered over the rest like a radio tower, high enough that Hero couldn't tell if anyone was even in it.

Upon reaching the top, he almost fell right back down as a small, pink critter slid past him at a remarkable speed, screaming very loudly in the process. He saw a second slower creature following that looked like a small flan. "We're not suppose to run! Slow down!!!" He saw the little flan run towards the pink one. They had no chance of catching up.

"Hey Hero." He heard a voice speak, turning to see a little sullen blob floating face up in a swimming pool nearby. They had big black bangs that splayed out in the water.

This was so strange. It wasn't bad, but he wasn't sure if it was good either. He simply awkwardly waved back and kept walking.

He saw some massive boulder...guy? Demonstrating an overhead stroke to some smaller people nearby, including a clam that just had one giant arm sticking out of it. Oh this was only getting weirder.

He descended a small metal ladder, not surprised to find more pools but certainly a bit surprised to find these two almost entirely empty. There was only a single person in one of them. Well, he thought it was a person, maybe. It was a floating ball of hair that idly floated like a clump of moss. Gross. He looked a little closer only to find a single eye crack open and look at him. Gross _and_ unnerving. Not going to bother this one, just turn away and keep walking.

He felt something wet touch his leg, immediately soaking through the PJs he went to sleep in. He turned to see a single strand of the weird hair thing curled around his ankle. It looked right at him before it directed its eye elsewhere, causing hero to follow its gaze. There was a hot tub nearby, the sort you'd find in the corner of public swimming pools populated exclusively by weird old people, but this one was empty. Hero looked down and noticed the hair on his ankle had let go. Did it want him to go there?

He stepped up to it, looking inside. It was unoccupied...there was something in there. Something small, black. Another key? Hero rolled up his sleeve and reached in, grabbing and pulling it out. This one read 'T.'

It had a weight to it, one of importance rather than pounds. He pocketed this one too, turning to thank the strange hair thing, only to see it had closed its eye. Huh. Why did it help him exactly? He turned back around to look at the hot tub.

Something was pouring into it from where the key was, like a hole was bored right from where he picked it up. Was it keeping it plugged? Black smoke filled the bubbling water and rendered it opaque, a boiling pot of black. Hero started to take a few steps back when he faintly saw something inside the black waters. He peered down, seeing a vaguely humanoid shape...and it was struggling. It was gripping its neck and trying desperately to swim to the surface.

It was Sunny. He was Drowning.

Hero didn't think before he dove into the black waters, squinting to see Sunny in the shadows. It burned his eyes, his nose following suit as water entered his nostrils. He couldn't stop, he had to help Sunny.

He managed to get to him, trying to get a hold of him as Sunny began to grip and pull at Hero. He was panicking and fighting to reach the surface. He couldn't exactly calm him down, so he simply had to fight against his struggling to pull him to surface.

Surface. Where was it. Where was the surface? Where was the entrance to this blackened pit? Hero looked where he thought was up and saw nothing. He began to scan, but could see nothing but the black waters and the bubbles escaping from Sunny's lips.

Panic was starting to grip him. He started to swim where the surface should be, hoping to reach it. Just because he couldn't see it didn't mean it wasn't there. Hero felt something grip his collar and yank, thrashing his head and causing him to unintentionally open his mouth, swallowing a mouthful of water that tasted like asphalt.

Sunny's head was split open. Blood was filtering into the water. His eyes were dead. Hero, already beginning to choke on water, pushed him away in shock only to register something heavy in his hand. A meat tenderizer. It too was bloody, something still stuck on the end.

Hero was Afraid.

His lungs burned. His eyes couldn't see anything anymore. He was going to drown.

* * *

Hero hit the tile of the swimming pool plateau with a wet thud, soaked head to toe and coughing up chlorinated water.

Someone saved him. He couldn't quite see who as his eyes were blurred and burned by the chemicals in the water. As he blinked his eyes to try and clear them, he could only make out that this person had long hair. A glance over at the nearby pool confirmed this was not the hairy one eyed thing as he could still make out its shape floating in the water.

"Here, wipe your eyes with this." He knew that voice. He grasped at what was being offered, grabbing a napkin and wiping his eyes. It helped a little, and with a bit of tears and hard blinks he could make out the source of the help and the voice.

Hero gently smiled. It hurt. "Hi Mari."

Mari's face was one of worry, but she still cracked a little smile back. "Hi, Hero."

* * *

Hero sitting on a picnic blanket with Mari. What a nostalgic sight. What an unfortunately common occurrence in his dreams.

Ever since she-...Ever since the accident, he's had dreams about her. Some vague, some lucid. Some incredibly fantastic, some delightfully mundane. Some happy, some sad.

All of the futures he couldn't have with her anymore.

Mari had given him a thick towel, kindly provided by the staff of this weird tiered pool, and placed it over Hero's shoulders to dry him out. "Do you want something warm to eat?"

"No, but thank you Mari." He couldn't help but notice a slight twitch at him calling her by her name. There was a pause as she reached to grab something from the basket. "Hero...I'm so sorry, but I'm not-"

"I know." She's not real. She's just a part of his dream. He knew. He always did now. He could see the tension leave Mari as she got out a small bottle of tea. This was the first time Hero could remember that his dream Mari was self aware.

He turned his head to look at the now normal hot tub, alongside the still hairball occupied pool. He could only assume that was as close to a hallucination one could get inside of a dream. Sunny was never drowning, he just had a small nightmare.

"Tea?" He turned to see Mari had a second bottle for him. He smiled and accepted it, gently taking it from her hand. It was awkwardly quiet until he took a peak into the picnic basket. "Is that Orange Joe?"

"It is. Kel has a very particular taste." "A very particular taste for bad orange soda." "I've tried to make him drink orange juice, I really have! But he just won't. He's not picky about anything else." "Does he still eat his fruits and veggies?" "Plenty, He's just particular about the drinks." Yep, that's Kel. His little brother will devour pretty much anything, but when Orange Joe was available, he would pretty much refuse much else. Hero recalled his parents _"""forgetting"""_ to pick it up when they went grocery shopping for that exact reason. He still sometimes found a way to get it, beyond all reason.

"If you have a bottle, does that mean you're expecting him?" Mari smiled a bit. "I am. Omori and his friends-" She paused. Hero raised a brow. "Omori?" "Ah, he's my little brother, but he's not Sunny. You'll see." Hero just looked confused.

Mari continued. "Omori and his friends were planning to go swimming here today. Omori's been getting lessons here, and he's improved a lot! Which means Kel's coming, so I had to get an Orange Joe ready for him.

Hero was about to say something when he heard a loud splash, turning to see what made the noise. For a second he couldn't see anything until he registered something had moved. The hairball was gone. He didn't see any trace of it...Odd.

"Omori!" He heard Mari speak up then. He turned to see who this Omori even was, seeing the boy climb up a ladder to reach the same level as Mari and himself.

It was immediately apparent something was different about him. He was entirely monochrome, sticking out like a spotlight against the dark blues and cyan of this undersea dream. He definitely looked like Sunny, though he was clearly younger and wore an outfit he did not recognize, a black tank top and striped shorts. He was wearing sandals as black as his hair that looked almost like holes below his feet.

He watched this bleached copy of Sunny turn to look at him. He had very little change in his blank expression, but he could see a faint recognition behind his eyes. He turned to focus back on Mari, walking over to hug her as she pet his hair. She always cared so much for Sunny.

He wonders if she still would, knowing what Sunny did.

...She would. She was too kind, too forgiving. She wouldn't be mad at Sunny, Hero was certain.

"HERO!!!" That volume could only belong to Kel. He turned to see him, a very strange colorful tank top on alongside trunks, a handful of pool noodles under his arm. He watched him turn to announce down the ladder they rose from. "HERO! It's your turn!"

"Could you _not_ yell directly into my ear?!" Aubrey climbed up next. He didn't recognize her at first glance, having not seen her without dyed hair in a solid year, but her annoyance at Kel was a giveaway. She still had that same bow in her hair, but otherwise wore a swimsuit and had an inner tube shaped like a bright yellow cat. "You know he can hear you if you just talk normally, right?"

It was then he saw the final person ascend. It was himself. A walking snapshot from five years ago, wearing striped trunks and holding a plastic bag filled with smaller toys for the pool. He and his younger self met eyes, scanning each other over.

He watched as his younger self approached, gently setting the bag down and extending a hand with a smile. "Welcome! It's nice to finally meet you, Hero!" The real Hero could've sworn he saw a sparkle near him when he spoke just then. "It's nice to meet you too." He replied back, shaking his double's hand.

He could see his younger self's expression. It was a bit of anxiety, a bit of awkwardness, but otherwise a positive appearance.

He could not see his own expression. Seeing this version of himself, from before the accident, who still had his Mari alive and well...He had a glare to him. One the younger Hero could identify.

He was jealous.


	13. Depressed

Hero sat on a cheap plastic recliner as he watched Omori and Aubrey swim in the tiered pool. Aubrey was in her inner-tube and just relaxing, watching and encouraging Omori as he took his lesson. Omori swam with a pair of pastel floaties on his arms to help keep him afloat as he listened to a mermaid within the water giving swimming lessons. He wasn't the sole student, other people were in the water as well, from a weird plant mole thing, a spider inside a flower pot (Hero tried to avoid looking at that one), a little dinosaur person who reminded him vaguely of Kim, and a bunny halfway stuck in an inner tube.

In truth, he wasn't paying too much attention to those swimming around. He was paying more attention to the two sitting in the recliner next to him. Mari and the other, younger Hero. They seemed to read the room at least, neither doing anything particularly lovey and/or dovey in the Real Hero's presence. Mari was watching Omori while the younger Hero sat turned towards his older self.

"So you're studying to become a Doctor?" This false Hero was kind and understanding, thankfully. He could tell he cared for his false Mari immensely, but he avoided anything sensitive and kept to other topics. The Real Hero appreciated it.

"I am. Been studying for a few years now. Turns out most places want to put you through the wringer before they let you help other people." He recalled the few sleepless nights of study. Sure he didn't _have_ to study all night, but he certainly felt like he needed to.

"Really? I mean, I know you have to know a lot to be a doctor, but that sounds rough."

"Oh it is, but you have to realize that if a doctor misdiagnoses someone, it could lead to them getting hurt or sick worse than before. So they want to make absolutely sure someone knows what they're doing to try and minimize that."

"What sort of doctor are you trying to become anyway?"

"I was hoping to eventually become a surgeon, but I'm just studying to be a general practitioner for now."

"Does...that mean you're not a cook anymore?" Hero could feel that question coming.

"I mean, I do still cook, I'm just not trying to be a career chef. I love cooking for people, but If I had to choose, I'd rather help people more directly."

Mari spoke up from her seat then. "I do very much miss your cooking, Hero."

That statement wounded him. He knew she wasn't being intentionally harmful, but it still lashed through his chest like razor wire. Even the younger Dream Hero quietly hissed through his teeth at the statement.

The Real Hero smiled after a second however. "Well, maybe I can cook something for us if I end up here again. You and I, both of us Hero's, could all cook together. I'm certain everyone would enjoy it." His smile was bittersweet, but it felt worth it to see Mari smile again, even a facsimile.

Hero felt something shoot up his spine then. An uncanny feeling, the sensation that something is wrong. He looked around for a moment before he could confirm what happened: Omori was gone. The entire swimming class was gone. A quick look around confirmed everyone that wasn't himself, Mari, and the younger versions of his remaining friends had disappeared entirely.

Hero promptly stood up, looking around, trying to identify what just happened. As he searched urgently, he felt Mari's hand on his arm, making him look down. Her expression was one of calm. "Hero, it's okay. This happens occasionally."

"Everyone up and vanishes?" "Yes. Everyone around Omori gets moved when he disappears. He's okay, we all are." He didn't understand, but her voice and composure spoke of her knowledge on it. She knew exactly what was happening, and that made Hero calm down as well.

He watched as Aubrey got out of the pool, pouting and looking upset at Omori up and leaving so suddenly. He idly looked around for Kel. He knew he wasn't far. Maybe he went down a level to use that hot tub? The dream Hero sighed and scratched his head. "I hope he's alright." The Real Hero turned, asking for clarification. The dream Hero delivered. "He usually only vanishes like that if he's really stressed out. Maybe he just got too uncomfortable in the water."

Aubrey walked over to everyone else then. "Well, let's go wait for him in the Neighbor's room then!" "Is that where he is?" "Usually! There's a door to his space there!" Dream Hero stood up then, gently helping Mari up as well. The gesture was sweet, the Real Hero knew that. It still hurt to see. "Let's go get Kel and go to this Neighbor's Room then."

Aubrey took a quick glance back at the pool she was in, seeing if he was hiding somewhere near it. The Real Hero had a better idea of where he'd be, and in fact so did his younger self, as they both walked to the same spot: To the nearby hot tub.

The Dream Hero saw him first, about to wave when he suddenly halted. He turned to his older self with a fearful expression. "Something's in there with him."

Hero saw Aubrey's face pale. He didn't ask before he quickly ran to see what this something even was.

He saw Kel on one end of the hot tub, pressed as far back against the tile as he could, staring intensely at what was on the other side of the hot tub. It was that hair ball from before. Some of it's strands were tangled around Kel's wrists and ankles, but he was otherwise unharmed.

Hero thought the hair ball harmless, but he also thought Kel's fear was very much justified. It looked incredibly unnerving, and Kel seemed like he didn't want to move to avoid agitating it.

Hero gently descended the ladder to the same level as Kel and approached him slowly, walking around the hot tub. He could see the dream versions of Mari, Hero, and Aubrey watching nearby with expressions of worry. Kel's eyes were red, like he hadn't blinked in a while, and they locked onto Hero when he approached.

Kel was Stressed Out.

Hero was slow in his movements, gently reaching into the still, now shockingly cold water to start untangling the hair from his wrist. He spoke quietly. "I'll get you out of there soon, just hold out a little bit longer." Kel barely moved, but a curt nod confirmed he understood. Kel had done similar for him when spiders were on Hero in the past, to return the favor was the only right thing to do.

He untangled Kel's wrist before he told him to slowly rise out of the tub, at his own pace. Kel waited for a moment before he slowly sat up on the rim of the tub, shivering now that he was exposed to air...or what passed for air in this underwater dream. Hero continued to wordlessly untangle him. When he was entirely untangled, he helped him out of the tub the rest of the way and gently guided him back to the ladder. He looked about ready to cry, but he seemed less immediately afraid.

"Hero." Mari spoke up. He turned to face her, but she was looking behind him.

"Hero." Mari spoke up. Her mouth didn't move. Her voice came from behind him.

He turned, seeing Something now out of the tub and hovering there. Hero flinched at the voice, but turned away from it to help Kel up the ladder so he could get some distance from it before he turned to face it. "...Yes?"

"I love you, Hero."

Hero twitched. Hero was Angry. It was one thing for a dream version of Mari to say such a thing. It was another for a hair ball to say it, one that just got done antagonizing his little brother. He furrowed his brows at it.

"But I'm not yours. I'm sorry."

"...What?! What do you mean by that?"

"Behind you. That one's yours."

Hero looked at it in confusion before he turned.

Sunny was behind him.

Hero could see something red dripping down his face. His head was cracked open. Hero cracked it open in a fit of rage.

He could feel everything grow heavier. He did hurt him. He dreamt it. He considered it. He hated himself for even doing that much. It was wrong! It's not what would-be doctors do, it's not what good people do. It's not what _he_ does.

Sunny took a step forward, looking up at him through his remaining eye. Hero tried to speak, but found himself unable to breath.

Sunny pushed him.

He fell.

He felt his weight hit something sharp, a wooden corner, before he tumbled more. He felt his leg break from an impact as he tumbled.

He was falling down a flight of stairs.

He was broken. He was bleeding. He was dying. And Sunny had slowly descended the steps that were covered in his blood.

And Sunny began to break down. He started to apologize to his corpse. He started to weep and sob and scream.

It was an accident.

* * *

Hero's eyes shot open. For a moment, he couldn't move. For a moment, he thought he was broken. He then realized he was just twisted in an odd way on his old bed.

He corrected himself and tried to get up. Ow! Ow. Jeez...He must've slept in a very bad position. His neck and shoulder both ache like hell.

It was very early. He was still at his home with his family. He was perhaps the only person currently up, Kel snoring nearby.

He got out of bed and rubbed his neck, walking to the kitchen. He was going to grab that heat pack rice sock thing he saw mom use on her back and microwave it for himself. Something hot to help ease the pain on his neck and back. A glass of water too, he was parched.

As he waited for the microwave, he idly looked into the glass. He wondered if Sunny was getting swimming lessons where he lived now. It's a more urban space, but they probably had some public pool to swim in. If he could handle the crowds, Hero supposed.

Ding. Heat Pack is done. Youch, It's really hot! He quickly moved it to his neck. It's really hot in a good way now.

A glass of water. A heat pack on him. Time to return to bed.

* * *

"Are you okay...?"

He opened his eyes to see Abbi again. Well, what he could see of her in such a dark place.

"Yeah, I'm alright...Is everyone else?"

"Your friends are in the Neighbor's Room...They are safe." Ah, Good. Good. "I could take you there, if you want..."

Hero thought it over. He...did not want to see Mari again for tonight. "I think I'll pass for now and just sleep till morning, if that's alright."

"That is...fine...Do you wish for...company...?" This large woman asked, causing him to raise a bit of a brow. Well...he did have to wait for a while to get a full nights sleep. "I don't mind chatting."

He could only tell she smiled by the movement of her eye. That and the faintly happy noise he heard. He wondered if she got lonely down here in the abyss.

Maybe he could help her then. He wasn't a doctor yet, but that didn't stop him from helping whoever he could, however he could. And if that just meant being present to talk, he was willing.

...He wondered if he should have been more present for Sunny.

He dismissed such thoughts. He was in no state to help himself after the accident, let alone anyone else. Especially the culprit behind said accident.

There were other people who deserved his help more.


	14. Stressed Out

I woke up in my home away from home, my fairy-tale house within a dream.

I awoke wearing minty green clothes and pastel overalls. I awoke with a flower crown and a regrettable photograph on my bedside table.

I awoke with Something at the foot of my bed. I awoke with someplace dark beneath my floorboards.

But things might be different this time. Someone else might be here: Kel, Aubrey, Perhaps even Hero. Others had dreamed as I had been, and now that I've returned, I'm going to go look for them. Maybe they're not here, maybe only their younger blue selves are, but we promised to look for one another.

Would they look like me? Of mint skin and pastel color?

I stopped before I left. I can't leave without watering my plants. I can't leave without watering Something, or else it might follow me. I can't let it follow me, because then it might hurt someone. Because I might hurt someone.

...It might follow me anyway.

I made a decision. I approached the pot and a pressed my head against its dead branches. I felt the thorns prick at my skin and comb through my hair as I felt its teeth start to nibble at my heart. It was always that special kind of hurt, that one of regret and grief and guilt.

"Come on. You're going to be my flower crown for today."

* * *

As I walked north through the vast forest, I idly scratched my head. I didn't know what I was expecting Something to feel like, but I wasn't expecting...itchy.

Its thorns scratched and irritated. Its teeth nibbled, but it didn't bite and swallow. Its eye observed, but it didn't scrutinize.

It hurt, but it hurt less so. It wasn't the sharp pain of an injury, but a faint yet persistent headache. I was certain it was still feeding from me, drinking my blood and blooming in the presence of my guilt, but it did so slower and over time rather than all at once.

It was deeply uncomfortable, but it was manageable. And this way, Something left its place on my terms. I always knew exactly where it was. I was in control of it, not the other way around. It was a plant, and I was its caretaker.

...I think Something was making me see things. I don't know if they're hallucinations, but I'm beginning to see other...Mes. Walking around. They're like shadows, only faintly there. They aren't doing anything to me. I won't do anything to them. Ignore them and move on.

* * *

I found them!

It was when I first walked into the empty playground. Mari wasn't present, but Aubrey and Kel were, and I couldn't mistake Aubrey's Pink Hair or Kel's bright orange jersey for anyone else! They were on the bench to the north side of the playground, Kel standing near it and dribbling his basketball while Aubrey sat on it in a bit of an odd pose, one leg up on the bench and her bat pressed against the seat.

"Kel! Aubrey! You're here!" I approached the two of them with a wave.

"Basil! So you are dreaming with us too! What's up!" Kel was beaming, clearly excited to be going on dream adventures.

Aubrey seemed concerned however. "...Are you the Basil we know?"

Kel turned and seemed confused. I realized what she meant. They looked like themselves. Natural skin, Brown hair on Kel, Pink hair on Aubrey, in their real clothes. Me? I had the complexion of mint candy here, green hair and bright overalls. I looked like I...well, belonged here, like a product of the dream rather than someone who was asleep.

"I am. We promised we'd visit if we found each other in our sleep!" She seemed unconvinced. I continued. "We found out we were dreaming together when I dropped my cards and you said I had a straight."

She paused and pondered for a moment. Then she spoke up. "You've got feelings for Sunny, right?"

"Hhwhat-?!" What sort of a question was that?! What did that have to do with anything-?

"Okay, you're the real Basil. I'm convinced."

Kel spoke up while I remained mortified. "Why did you ask that?"

"Well, cause the Sunny here isn't sunny, they're Omori...I think that's his name. So if you were a fake Basil, you'd not react like that to an unfamiliar name."

...That makes complete sense. And now I'm annoyed alongside being embarrassed because she probably just could have asked if I knew Sunny well!

"Man, I don't think I've ever seen Basil that red before...Or is it just cause his skin's super pale?" _Kel you are not helping._

"Basil, whenever you're done being admittedly really cute with how flustered you are, there's something I want to check out with you guys. Kel showed me the giant yellow cat room before you arrived, and I wanted to try and get inside that white door."

I felt an odd prick on the side of my head. Something wanted me to pay attention to that door. Was it encouragement to proceed? Or a warning to leave it be? He wasn't expecting the monster that followed him for four years of torture to be concise now, so all I could tell was it found the white door noteworthy.

I spoke up then. "I don't know too much about it, but I know Omori rests there..."

"Oh, perfect then." Aubrey cracked a smile, pulling out a few keyboard keys from her pocket. "These look like they belong with Omori with how not colorful they are, they probably go in his room then."

Kel pulled out some of his own keyboard keys, idly looking them over. "...How did you figure that out?"

"Look at these things! They look like they came out of a bad photocopier! Where everything else here looks like it might as well have been drawn in crayons. Come on, let's just go see if the door is even open. For all we know, we could debate all day, or night?, only to find the door locked. So come on, let's not waste time!"

* * *

"Hey Basil? You might want to make a new flower crown soon. The one you're wearing looks like it's about to go soon."

He can see it? Or, he can see it somewhat. It wasn't a flower crown, it was a mess of dead branches and thorns and teeth. It was Something teething into my skull. So it just looks like a flower crown to everyone else? Like a dying flower crown.

"Oh, I know. I was...w-well, I want to use it for as long as I can before I make a new one! I don't want to pick too many flowers."

Kel smiled and nodded in understanding. Thank god for that. This isn't their burden to worry about.

"Hey you two! Get over here and help!" Aubrey shouted in front of the white door. She had been yanking at it and kicking it a few times to no avail.

Kel shrugged. "What exactly do you expect us to do? We don't have a key or anything and it doesn't look like we can break it down. I don't want to break down something that belongs to Sunny anyway!"

"It doesn't belong to Sunny, it belongs to that white weirdo Omori!"

"I mean, you could still call Sunny a white weirdo and not be wrong..." Kel spoke this with a smirk. I couldn't help but chuckle a bit, that was admittedly pretty funny. Aubrey's mouth twisted in an odd way that made it clear she was trying desperately to not laugh as well, huffing and pointing at the door. "Just try and do _something_ please." She grumbled as she stepped away, looking instead at the decorations in the room.

Kel and I both approached the door. I had no clue what Aubrey was expecting. Kel just walked up and knocked a few times. "Hello? Anyone home? Sorry about Aubrey trying to break in!" I meanwhile crouched to look at the doorknob. It has a keyhole in it, so it could be locked. It probably _was_ locked. Well, none of us can pick locks. Again, I don't know what Aubrey was expecting.

...I can actually see the inside of the room a little bit. There's not much there. A carpet, I think? A tissue box, a book of some kind, a string or wire hanging from the ceiling, a laptop-

A Laptop? Wait, that could be where those keys belong-!

**CLICK.**

The sound was deafening from so close to the door. I yelped and scrambled away before recognizing what the noise was. Kel had come over to help be up before I rose myself, gently grabbing and turning the door handle. It opened. It was unlocked.

"Wh-How did you-?" "I have no idea." I really didn't know what I did. Maybe just recognizing the place where the keys belonged was all I needed to do? "But it is open...Do we still want to go in?"

Aubrey walked up to the door. The sole reason she didn't stomp in was she couldn't without shoving us out of the way. "No shit I'm going in, Omori made me go through some nightmarish garbage to get these keys, I'm using them!" Kel and I looked at each other. With a shrug, we all proceeded inside.

* * *

**Welcome to White Space.**

**You've never been here before in your life.**

* * *

I expected it to be bright in here, but somehow it wasn't. Everything was white, pure white, yet it didn't glare or burn. The room was comfortably chilly, not hard on the eyes, and empty. We could hear our footsteps as we walked ahead.

"MEWO!" Kel shouted when he saw the familiar black cat. It seemed to recognize him too, running up to him to rub his head against his legs. Kel bent down to pet him before lifting him up. Mewo seemed less enthusiastic about being lifted, but other than a little squirm he didn't fight it as Kel smooched her.

Aubrey walked up to the wire, raising a brow as she looked at it. She idly reached up and grabbed it before she shouted and fell to the floor. "FUCK!" Kel dropped Mewo (Who landed on his feet and scampered off) to ensure Aubrey was alright. "What happened-?" "That's not a light cord, it's a wire, and it's LIVE! Who has a live wire just hanging from the ceiling?!"

Seeing Aubrey drop halted me in my tracks, but seeing she was otherwise fine made me feel the need to continue. We're here for the laptop, right? To put the keys into it?

"...Hey guys? I think I found where the keys go." As I looked at the laptop, it's keyboard was barren. All of the letters were missing. The numbers, arrow keys, and the other buttons were still present, but every letter was pulled out. Expect...there's one key just sitting on top of it.

'Y'

Kel and Aubrey walked over to see me holding the key. "Hey, you got one too now! Nice!" Kel had commented, but Aubrey inquired: "Was there a little hole under it?"

"A little...hole? No?" Was there? It was just on the keyboard...No, no hole through it.

"Weird. All of the ones I picked up had little holes under them." "Hey, mine did too! Wonder why Basil's one is so special."

I sat down on the white blanket alongside Aubrey and Kel. Kel leaned forward to push a random key on the laptop. The screen turned on, leaving sleep mode to display a game on the computer.

**H A N G M A N**

Something's thorns burrowed into my skull. They dug past my brain and behind my eyes, poking them and forcing me to look forward. For a second, I could've sworn I saw Mari hanging from the wire.

"Basil?" Aubrey was the one to help this time, gently placing a hand on my shoulder to bring me back to the present. I blinked a few times to try and make the ache go away. She had seen the screen and seemed to understand why I was distressed. "Basil, you don't have to do this with us if you don't want to. We'll wait for you if you want, we don't want to push you into doing something you don't want to do."

"N-no, I'm fine...I'm fine. For now. I'll...I'll tell you guys if I want to go, alright? We'll just go to the park and relax there?" Aubrey and Kel nodded, Aubrey a stern expression, Kel a small calming smile.

We looked at the computer screen again. There was nothing present right now other then the word Hangman and several spaces for letters.

\-----------------------

Kel took out all of the letters he had in his pocket.

C A D

He slotted them into the keyboard. As they fit in, they automatically filled in the screen.

\--A--------------------

**TWO** **WRONG SELECTIONS**

We saw the first two lines of the Hangman get drawn. I could feel Something tighten around my head. Kel and Aubrey looked deeply uncomfortable as well.

Aubrey regardless took out her own keyboard keys. She had more than Kel did, as Omori sent her to gather them.

K E J H I L

IHA-E---ELL------E-HI--

**TWO WRONG SELECTIONS  
**

Two more lines. The gallows were fully present now.

Finally, I put in the single key I found here.

Y

IHA-E---ELLY-----E-HI--

That was all of the keys we found. We looked over the results so far.

"...I Hate...Jelly...?" Kel spoke out loud as he looked the words over. Aubrey just sighed in frustration. "We clearly need more. We can't type in anything without the rest of the keys."

I took a quick look at the displayed solution. I...had a sinking feeling I knew what it said. But I also knew it was far too early to tell. "So...where would we start looking for the other keys?"

The screen flickered, suddenly showing a list. Aubrey raised a brow. "Is this thing voice activated?" Kel however seemed to realize something. "Look! It says where the keys are! Like this first one, A! "In the grass near a stump!" That's right outside the room we were in, that's where I found the A key!"

"How...does the computer know where the keys are? And why is it telling us in stupid riddles?"

I spoke up then. "We are dreaming. Dreams have weird logic. Oh! Hold on-" I took out my camera and took a picture of the list. There, now I have it handy even if I'm away from this computer. "We could split up to find them, or we could stick together to look around. What do you guys think?"

"I think you should take two more pictures so we each have a list." "Oh! Oh yeah, so that way if you wake up, we can still look around while we're here!"

"Good idea! Hold on." I raised my camera to take more pictures. Key decided to give the laptop bunny ears in one of them, which Aubrey demanded he be stuck with that picture.

Now we were each armed with a list and a goal: Find the other keys, fill in this game. Then we can finally proceed to Black Space.

...

Black space?

What is that? How...do I know that?

"Basil?" Is it a place? Have I been there before? It sounds familiar. It sounds too familiar.

"Basil, you're super pale. Are you alright?" Not a name I've read somewhere, it's a place I've been. I know I've been there before, and I know I don't want to go back.

**But you have to.**

Someone spoke behind me.

Omori was here.

Kel and Aubrey were gone. Or perhaps they were still here, but silent. I couldn't turn to look. A knife was pointed to my throat.

"Why." He spoke bluntly, a hint of anger hiding under his voice and expression.

"I-i just-W-we-" I tried to speak, but I was shaking too much.

I was Afraid.

There was a moment, and then Omori took a step back. "Calm down. Breathe. Then talk." It was somewhat hard to believe he was telling me to calm down while still pointing a knife at me. Having some room still helped minutely.

"W-we had those keys, We found out y-your laptop was here, we wanted to return them..." I was still shaking. I was still afraid.

There was...something else to this fear. I've felt that knife before. I've felt it many times.

Omori tilted his head, looking past me and at the computer screen. After a moment, he lowered the knife and sighed.

I was still shaken, but the immediate threat was gone now. I turned to see if Kel and Aubrey were still present. They were, surprisingly.

More surprising were the numerous red hands holding them in place where they sat near the laptop. I didn't have time to vocalize my shock before they let go and vanished.

Kel just took a breath and fell onto his back, clearly still nervous but glad to be released. Aubrey meanwhile shot up and spun towards Omori, trying to bring her bat down on him. It was halted by another red hand.

Aubrey screamed. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO BASIL?! WHAT WERE YOU DOING TO US!?"

"This is my home." He looked at the nothing that was this place. "You weren't invited."

"AND THAT'S A GOOD ENOUGH REASON TO POINT A KNIFE AT BASIL?!"

"A-aubrey, please stop! He's not going to hurt us." He's not going to hurt you unless you incite him. He might hurt me. Why did I feel like he might hurt me.

"We did sort of invade his home. You know some people shoot home invaders, right? I think just holding us down is fair." Kel was surprisingly okay with the entire situation.

Aubrey growled, but then pulled her bat back, the red hand releasing it. "If you try to hurt Basil or any of us again I swear-"

"I won't." Omori blankly responded. "Thank you."

Aubrey was Enraged. "THANK YOU?! FOR WHAT-?!"

"For the keys." He pointed towards the laptop. "Please ask before coming here again. I will let you in."

Aubrey was fuming. Kel had gotten up and walked over to her. "Hey, let's not fight the Sunny clone? How about we go find something for you to smash to pieces, that sound good?"

"Kel, if this is some sort of prank, I'll smash _you_ to pieces." "It's not! I'm being serious, go get that energy out of you and we'll go from there, alright?" Aubrey was still enraged, but she contained it enough to turn and wordlessly start leaving, Kel being close behind.

I turned to leave as well, but felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to look, only to find Omori hugging me tightly.

For a moment, I was terrified. Irrational fears raced through my mind. He still had his knife. He was going to crush me. He was going to make me pop like a watermelon.

Then, the calm came. This was a hug. He seemed...worried. He was concerned about me. He was glad to see me unharmed.

A moment later, I hugged him back. I could feel Something digging into my scalp again, poisoning this moment, but I would bear through it.

"Sunny misses you."

...I know.

I miss him too.


	15. Guilty

**Welcome to White Space.**

**You've lived here for as long as you can remember.**

* * *

Basil had left.

Omori was alone again.

...

...

...

Alone felt so strange now. Almost wrong.

Sunny's friends, the very people his friends were made to replicate, were now within Headspace with him. And they were so different now.

And Sunny? He was worried how he'd react if he saw his friends here. He counted his blessings Sunny hadn't visited Headspace recently, either awake in the dead of night or dreaming of vague feelings and happy thoughts. He couldn't just paint over them like he did with Basil.

Like he did with Basil.

That was months ago. Three months after Sunny told the truth to everyone. Three months after Sunny demonstrated his resolve to live.

Seeing Basil again was at first thought to be a miracle. The sole person he couldn't bring back having reappeared. But he realized it was not his old friend, but Sunny's old friend.

Omori still cared immensely for the Basil of Reality. He knew, he could feel, that Sunny cared for him even more. Sunny loved him, he was certain.

But every time Omori saw Basil...

It Hurt.

Sunny was alive. Sunny had decided to live.

Omori still wanted to die.

* * *

...

* * *

"Kel, you can ask me anything, you know that."

"Yeah I know but this one's _super weird-_ "

Kel was acting strange. He was always a bit strange but this was especially so, and Hero was getting worried.

What was it that he was so hesitant to ask? Was this a question involving Mari or Sunny? It's been five years, he can talk about it.

...Is this something else? A medical question? Was he concerned about something about himself? Or about one of his friends?

Was this about gender? Sexuality? His mind raced, but he mentally braced himself to answer anything. He would love and support his brother no matter what. He was going to help him through this.

"Kel, please, just tell me what it is you want to know. I promise whatever it is, It'll be okay."

He saw Kel take a breath, nervous in expression. He kept his own face carefully positive, smiling and ready to be there for his brother.

"Did you have any dreams recently where there was a weird black and white Sunny named Omori and also younger smaller versions of you, me, and Aubrey all colored kind of blue and the Sunny Omori had a steak knife and Mari was there on a picnic blanket and was it at a space camp or pink castle?"

"..."

"See I _told_ you it was super weird!"

"Wh-Okay so I thought you were going to ask something _completely_ different but...Yes? How-?"

"SICK! Okay we gotta go meet Aubrey and Basil!"

"W-why? Hold on, how did you know so much about my dream? Why do we need to see them?"

"Oh cause we've all been having the same dream and last night I met Aubrey and Basil in the dream and we all remember it. Now come on!"

Hero could barely formulate sentences as Kel grabbed his hand and dragged him along elsewhere.

* * *

Hero had to admit, the tree house looked much better. What he wouldn't admit was the new route made coming here hurt far less. He didn't see the stump. He was thankful for that. As he sat at the new table, watching Basil write some sort of code down and hearing Aubrey and Kel _civilly_ discuss some sort of plan, he had to ask. "So we've all had the same dream."

"Yep." Basil idly answered as he continued to write things down.

"We've all seen the same people."

"Yeah, we've gone over this." Aubrey said, turning her attention to Hero now.

"I've never been to any sort of pink castle or...Kel what was it? Space camp?"

"It was a campsite on a moooon~!" Kel wiggled his arms while replying, Aubrey giving him one very annoyed glance.

"Yeah I've not been to any of those. I was underwater, but I could breath and there was other bits of water still."

Basil looked up then, setting down his pen to talk. "That's Deepwell! Were you in the last resort?"

"Uh...No? I was first in an Abyss, the really deep sea not some sort of nightmare thing, and then I was in a weird public swimming pool thing?"

Basil seemed confused. "I've...never seen a swimming pool thing? That must be new."

"Basil, you said you've been having this dream for months?"

"Yeah. I didn't think much of it until Kel and Aubrey said they were having it too. I've been to a lot of it."

"If Hero's got his questions done, I think we should discuss the plan." Aubrey spoke up then as Basil set the paper on the table. A hangman was depicted, a partially filled solution and some wrong answers already listed. Aubrey continued. "We need to find the rest of the letters to finish this answer. Whatever the reason for it, Omori in the dream says it's important, and Basil agrees, so it's a goal. Hero, the letters are like black keyboard keys."

"Wait-I found some of those!"

"You did? Which ones? Where?"

"...I don't remember. Underwater."

Basil smiled as he made a note. "That's fine! We'll see which one it is when we meet up in the dream!"

Kel spoke up then. "We've got a meeting spot planned in the dream too! There's this bus stop looking place in the woods, the guy who runs it can get us around really quick! We were going to meet in the playground, it's just up from it!"

Hero paused. "...I might know someone who can help."

"Like, someone in real life or-?"

"In the dream. Her name was Abbi. We talked for a while, she mentioned having her hands all over...Headspace? She called it headspace. I think she means all over the dream. Maybe she could help us?"

Kel smiled. "Hey yeah! The more help the better! Oh, maybe I could ask some of the other dream peeps if they want to help..."

"We have a plan then." Aubrey spoke up as she stood up, her bat hitting the floor almost like a gavel. "Next time we dream of that "Headspace," we meet up before hunting for those keys. We solve that puzzle, we win a prize. Maybe we find out why the hell we can even share a dream like that."

"I have one concern." Hero spoke up, gently raising his hand. "What if absolutely nothing happens?"

Everyone else was quiet for a moment. Kel spoke up first with a shrug. "Well then we had a fun adventure together. No harm done!"

Basil spoke up next. "And I'm pretty...decently confident something will happen." Hero faintly noticed a look of discomfort in his expression, but he trusted him. "Alright, it's a plan still then."

Click!

He blinked when he registered he just had his picture taken. He couldn't help but smile at seeing Basil continuing his old hobby. Given that his old photo album was Sunny's now, he thought him starting fresh was sweet.

"So! What else are we going to do?"

"Huh?"

"We're all here. We might as well do something right?" Kel explained with a smile.

"Well...Would you all mind too much if we just talked? It's been a while, it's cozy here, and I haven't spoken to Basil in a bit."

Basil cracked a small smile. Not exactly thrilled, but he still seemed happy. Aubrey shrugged and moved to set her bat against the wall before returning. Kel rose claiming he wanted to grab some beverages. Aubrey told him if he brought more than one orange soda she would end his life.

It was partially into the discussion they were having, questions involving how they should decorate the inside of the tree house and debating what should and shouldn't be brought up, that Hero remembered something from the dream.

He remembered Something from the dream.

He didn't bring it up. The hairball. The bloody Sunny. The dream Kel's terror. His nightmare of drowning.

He won't have to worry about such things if he was with his friends. He was certain.

So they don't need to worry about it.

They don't need to know about it.


	16. Neutral

That night, the plan went into motion.

Hero awoke deep underwater. His newfound friend Abbi gave him a ride to as close to the playground as she could provide: The Neighbor's room. The large cat scared him. The shape of the stump hurt him. He walked south.

Aubrey awoke within a forest of fog and spiders, upon a picnic blanket. Mari wasn't present, so she walked to find a bus(?) station. It was there she met Pluto, who offered to transport her after complimenting how much stronger she had grown.

Kel awoke in a familiar junkyard surrounded by the stars. He took with him a discarded yet unopened bottle of soda as he made his way to the station to meet Pluto. They greeted each other with a Flex. They both felt their best.

Basil awoke where he always did: Within his house deep within the woods. The floorboards creaked beneath him, the fear of falling striking him before he walked over to a particular plant. Something would be watered by his blood, sweat, and tears. He apologized to his friends. It told him he would forever be guilty. He didn't need to be told.

* * *

As Kel arrived in the vast forest, Pluto didn't immediately fly away. "What is it you and your comrades are doing here, anyway?"

"Oh! We're looking for something important, these keys that Omori needs."

"Aah, so Omori needs help then? He and his friends are strong, they have earned my respect. You and yours are also quite strong, having grown! Is there any way I can help?"

"You've already helped a lot just getting us here, but we might need to use your service again soon. The keys are all over."

"Is that all? Say no more. I will gladly assist in your quest! I will wait here for you all to return, and take you wherever you need! GWAHAHAHAHA!" Pluto crossed his arms and laughed, remaining put rather than flying off. Kel offered him a high five, being one of the very few instances Kel could recall a high five hurting him.

* * *

As Kel approached the playground, he noticed two very odd differences.

First was Mari. Her hair was...purple? It sort of oddly worked given that she had that weird blue color to her. Seeing her in any capacity still stung Kel somewhere deep in his gut, but he shook it off. It was normal to feel that way over a lost loved one. He knew this wasn't the Mari he knew and lost, so he wasn't going to let that sting ruin his friendship with this dream person.

It seemed Aubrey was feeling the same way. He saw her sitting next to her, talking casually. He could tell from her expression, she wasn't talking to her like she was Mari. She was talking to her like she was someone who happened to be named Mari.

The other oddity was someone new was there. Clearly someone belonging to the dream. They were like a silhouette of a woman in a dress standing as tall he was, a walking shadow with a single large eye on her face. He couldn't see any hands, only the curving arms to her side. Tentacles? Weird.

Basil waved him over, making everyone else see he had arrived. The gang's all here!

Hero introduced this strange person: This was Abbi, the dream friend he made when he first arrived. She looked a little creepy, yes, but she was very soft spoken. She said she knew a few shortcuts she could help them take that Pluto may not be able to. She said she'd gladly help them find the remaining keys. She also noted she knew where one key was: Z. It was located in the abyss with her. Considering how unlikely it was for the solution to have Z in it, they noted where it was just in case.

Basil presented the pictures he took of the Hangman game, alongside the list of remaining ones. Hero presented the two keys he had on his person: S and T. Two more struck off the list.

They planned to split up. Aubrey was confident the pink castle (Sweetheart's castle, Basil corrected her) was empty of those keys, so she instead voted to go with Hero since he did not have a list handy. Kel volunteered to go to Outer World as he felt he had a pretty good grasp on the place since the few times he woke up there. Basil knew the vast forest well and so wanted to do a run through it before trying elsewhere. That left Hero and Aubrey to return to the Deep Well and investigate.

The remaining letters: B, F, G, M, N, O, P, Q, R, U, V, W, X.

Shrouded old bridge, Basil knew exactly where that was.

Spending time with a frog, Abbi knew where that was. Bottom of the well. No need to take a shortcut, just head north of the stump.

In the gut of a whale. Abbi knew it was somewhere past deep well, but she was unsure specifically as to where. It seemed good that both Aubrey and Hero were going together as it seemed the majority of the keys were where they were headed.

The rest were too vague to tell at the moment. For now, they'd search where they knew they were.

It was Kel who put his hand forward and decided to do a team shout. Everyone else joined in. Aubrey took a moment before she obliged him.

* * *

Aubrey wrung out her hair at the bottom of the well. "I know this is a dream and everything, but god I wish it was more consistent. Oh yeah, the water we swam through soaked us. But being underwater through a well? Might as well be dry!"

"Here's the key. M." Hero stated as he leaned down to pick it up.

Aubrey looked over his shoulder to peer down the hole. "...Is it me, or are those holes growing larger?"

"No, they very much are."

They looked down, seeing a field of white dots within it. "Looks like it's full of stars."

They didn't look close enough to recognize them as eyes.

* * *

Kel ran through the fields of Outer World, peeking through the reeds to try and find anything that looked like a Key. Hm...No trap doors as far as he could tell. That part of the list probably wasn't here.

Pluto was helping him, flying past the field for a birds eye view. He didn't come down to report anything, so he must not have found anything yet.

Kel then found a barn. It was inside that he found a massive picture frame. Oh! Wait! "Within a large frame!" It was in here!

Kel...absolutely did not want to go inside of that thing. It was pitch black, yet he could still see the walls of the long hallway. He felt something waiting inside.

He felt paralyzed. This place wasn't for him. He shouldn't go near it.

"Kel! What did you find!" Pluto had opened (which is to say ripped the hinges off of) the barn door, walking in to investigate.

"Pluto! I think the key's in there, but..." He paused, and shook his head. "I-i can't go in there. I have a really bad feeling I'll get hurt if I do."

Pluto paused, looking at the framed doorway for a moment. Then he walked over to it and lifted it up off the ground, tilting it and shaking it forcefully. After a moment, a key fell out of the frame and onto the floor.

Kel had stars in his eyes. "Pluto you're the best! There it is!" He picked up the key labeled F.

He set the frame down, curling his arms. "That's because I FLEX! GRAHAHAHAHA!"

* * *

Basil found two things at the fog covered bridge.

One was a Key labeled B.

The other was a shadow shaped like himself.

For a second, he thought this was Something having climbed out of its pot. When it didn't ache to look at, he realized it had to be something else.

"W...Who are you?"

"I was like you. Then I died." It suddenly started to approach.

Basil started to back pedal, but the shadow raised his hands, one closed into a fist. "Don't. I have a gift. Something you need and will never find." He revealed his closed hand. Another Key labeled G. Basil halted then, looking at this being.

"Soon, you'll meet all of the others. You'll meet you. And for what must happen...I'm sorry."

Basil began screaming.

He was burning. Melting. He was somewhere dark, somewhere dreadfully familiar. Omori was there as well, watching as he burned.

It was raining, but the rain brought pain. It made his skin char like fire, melted through his bone like acid. He felt his legs give away, crumpling into a pile of skin and burning blood. He gurgled as he tried to speak, begging Omori to help him. But he just watched.

Basil was still screaming as he found himself on the bridge once again. It hurt. It hurt so, so much. He felt himself die.

He did die. That wasn't a nightmare. It was a memory.

He didn't know why he felt this with such confidence, but as he slowly and shakily stood, he looked in his palm to find the second key was now with him.

...Finding the keys will open the way there, to that dark place. Black Space. Then he'll know. He'll have the answers.

* * *

The Last Resort was strangely delightful to Aubrey. The flashing lights of the casino resort were enticing! There was money to be made and games to play! She could gamble even though she was 17, Hell yeah! Alas, she was here on more important business. She managed to find the N key shoved in the prize dispensary of a slot machine. The machine started to spew out hair after it was removed, but it seemed the gator staff was quick to slap an 'out of order' sign right over the slot before it could make any sort of mess. Why hair? That's disgusting!

Hero and Abbi returned with the O key, describing it as having been at a party of ghosts. Music, good company, and food galore. Hero mentioned wanting to bring everyone there at a later time, if possible. Seems they both were somewhat distracted. Even Abbi seemed to be somewhat elated with all of the places to visit.

Aubrey looked at the list for a moment. This place was built into a big ship, so the 'At the end of a large plank' key was probably here. Hero pointed to the restrooms, confusing Aubrey at first, until he explained that they're sometimes called Water Closets. That's another spot on the list!

As they split up to check each restroom, Aubrey couldn't help but think that this dream...was kind of cool. The pink castle sucked immensely, but everything else seemed pretty nice. So why did these keys invite such dread? What do they do? Why were they important?

* * *

...

* * *

**Welcome to White Space.**

**He has been living here for as long as you can remember...**

* * *

Sunny opened his eyes.

White Space. It had been quite a while, almost an entire month since he last woke here.

He had been busy in reality. Meetings with a doctor. Meetings with his therapist. Recommendations on possibly seeing a Psychiatrist, something he and his mother would think over.

Online classes. Homework. Swimming lessons. Those were his idea. He wasn't as afraid of drowning anymore, but he still wanted to be able to swim. His mother was thrilled, because not only was it exercise, but it was a public class with other students. Sunny didn't socialize much with them, but trying to leave his comfort zone was something she was immensely proud of.

He also started to draw a bit more. It was nothing spectacular, but he felt he was improving. He sent pictures to his friends, keeping the somewhat more disturbing drawings private until Basil requested to see them. It was a weird way to relate, but he and Basil still shared conversations about the dark things they saw in their sleep. It never felt terrifying like it did a year ago.

After a month of regular dreams and nightmares, he found himself back here. Was there a particular reason? He wasn't entirely sure.

He felt the strands of Something gently touch his shoulder. Ah, it was here today, and it wanted attention. Perhaps that was it. Even when he wasn't in Headspace, he knew Something was sated by his touch. By his sleepless nights of guilt. By his nightmares. By his anxiety and paralyzing panic.

This time, as he gently let its hair curl around him softly, he could see Mari helping dye Aubrey's hair pink. He could see a second box of purple dye on the table nearby.

It was such a touching scene. A touching scene that could never be reality.

_Because of you._

Because of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's kind of all over the place, but I wanted to speed things along just a bit to the fun stuff I had planned.


	17. Panicked

**Knock,**

**Knock.**

* * *

Basil gently knocked on the white door within the Neighbor's room.

It had been a few hours. Everyone had reconvened with their new keys on hand. Basil waited for a reply before turning to look at the others.

Hero and Aubrey were sharing the place they found. The Last Resort they called it. Hero described the ghost party he had found while Aubrey described the casino. Hero got into an argument with her, saying it wasn't right for her or Kel to gamble, they were both too young. Aubrey accused Hero of being a cop. Kel sounded more interested in this ghost party, or more specifically the food they were serving there. Kel also described his adventures with Pluto, saying the big rock was super strong and cool. Aubrey seemed unimpressed.

"I think they're starting to like it here." Basil heard Mari talk next to him. She was waiting with them. Pluto couldn't come down here, and Abbi returned home through the hole in the floor. She was the last dream resident to remain with them.

"Well...It is a pretty nice place. It's filled with friends, and fun places to explore." He said this, but then frowned as he looked at her. She seemed worried. "What's wrong?"

"...You've all seen some of the darker things here too."

"Y-yeah, but it's all just a dream. And we can just avoid that stuff."

That was a lie. And he knew it. And Mari knew it too. He knew he was about to enter somewhere far darker than the rest of the dream.

"Basil...Are you sure you want to go ahead?"

Basil shivered. What was ahead would hurt. What was ahead...would _hurt._ But he needed to know why it hurt.

He needed to know what Black Space is, why he even knew of such a place. He needed to know why he was brought here, why everyone else was brought here.

"I am."

The door opened.

* * *

Omori opened the door and stepped aside to allow everyone to enter. He then stepped outside with Mari.

"Please don't touch the wire. And be kind to Mewo." He said before he and Mari departed.

"Yeah, we know, thanks." Aubrey shouted back with a bit of venom in her voice. Would have loved to know that sooner.

Hero looked around the white void, walking over to and picking up Mewo, who accepted being lifted by Hero with a little noise and a purr. "So...this is where those keys go?"

"Yeah!" Kel walked over to the laptop and pressed a random key, the screen turning back on and revealing the screen.

**H A N G M A N**

IHA-E---ELLY-----E-HI--

Basil approached Hero first. "Um...Can I reach into your pocket to get the keys? Your hand seems full." A nod from Hero as he grabbed the keys in question. Kel was holding the laptop in his arms, turning it to face Basil as he slotted in the keys.

S T O M P

"Heheheh...Stomp."

"Kel could you please not talk for five seconds."

IHA-ETOTELLYO-SOMETHI--

**ONE WRONG SELECTION**

"Wow! Hero, your keys were the best ones!" Kel shouted excitedly. "And we can read it now!"

"'I have to tell you something?' What does that-?"

"It's what Sunny said to you." Basil interrupted Hero then. "It's what he said before he told you what...what we did."

Basil shrank a bit. That reminder burned worse than the rain in that nightmare. They've said they forgiven him, but does he deserve it? He didn't feel like he did.

"Well...That was kind of an important and _stressful_ time for all of us. It makes sense it'd be important in our dream." Kel said aloud. Aubrey nodded, sighing as she tried to release some nerves. "So that means we only need a few letters left."

Hero spoke up then. "We need...V, U, N, and G."

"I have N. Found it in the casino place." Aubrey stepped forward and held up the N key.

"Oh! I have V!" Kel held up the key in question. "I found it inside a rabbit cage! With a very angry rabbit inside."

"I have G, so that just leaves-" Basil paused, looking in his hands. Wait. He picked up the B key. Why was it...U now? Wait, he checked his pocket again. He still had the B key! Where did he get this?!

"Oh nice! That's all of them then! Slot them in!" Basil shook his head. Maybe that shadow gave it to him as well. He couldn't recall without thinking of the nightmarish vision he suffered through. He'd rather not do so. He'd rather finally see what waited for him past these words.

G N V U

IHAVETOTELLYOUSOMETHING

* * *

Rattle

Rattle

Rattle 

RATTLE

Rattle

Rattle 

rattle

RATTLE 

* * *

_Kel felt everyone leave. He felt everyone leave him alone._

Hero felt like someone just died. Someone he cared about.

**Aubrey felt no one else cared that she died.  
**

_Please don't leave me alone._

Not again. Please not again. I can't.  


**Why does no one else care!? Did no one else love her?!  
**

* * *

Sunny flinched.

He was lying awake on his bed, trying the methods he learned to return to sleep as best as he could. He was woken by a nightmare within Black Space, a common occurrence when he felt the need to visit. He was proud to admit it was not due to a need to feel punished this time.

So why did he suddenly feel so anxious?

* * *

Everyone stood motionless. They had just felt something softly creep up their spines. A rattling noise echoed through their skulls, shaking loose thoughts they had packed deeply away.

There was a moment of silence as everyone had to get their minds back to the present. Hero spoke up first, voice quiet. "I-is everyone ok?"

Kel shook his head, idly wiping a few tears from his eyes. "I-i think so...What happened?"

Aubrey's breathing was short and forced, before taking a moment to take some deeper breaths. "The fuck was that? Did something-"

"BASIL!" She was the first to turn and shout.

Basil was prone, curled up on the floor, hyperventilating. Everyone was quick to run to, circling him. Hero quickly knelt down and grabbed his arms, pulling them apart. He wasn't seizing up, that's good. "Basil?! Basil can you hear me? I need you to breathe and listen." Hero had to be the responsible one. He didn't know what was happening, but he knew how to keep him physically safe. He gently moved Basil so he was laying on his back, setting his head on Hero's leg and asking Kel to grab and straighten his legs out on the floor.

Basil looked like he was having a panic attack. He was hyperventilating and crying, shaking and coughing. Hero kept trying to reach him. "Basil! Basil, let us know you can hear us, raise your arm, something!" Basil's arm lifted then, Hero gently taking his hand. "Try to breathe. In and out. In...and out..."

Basil seemed to listen, slowly catching his breath. He would still gasp and shake, but he was no longer hyperventilating.

"We're all here for you, Basil." "It's okay, it's okay..." Aubrey gently spoke words of comfort while placing a hand on his head. Kel took his other hand. "Take all the time you need."

They were worried. They all felt...invasive thoughts of sorts when the puzzle was finished. What did Basil feel to do this to him?

And as if on cue, he opened his mouth to talk. His voice was a hoarse whisper through his tears, but he spoke regardless.

"O-omori...He-"

* * *

Kel, Aubrey, and Hero were sitting outside in the playground, on the picnic blanket.

Their reactions were simultaneous

"Wha-BASIL?!"

"What happened-?!"

"Basil?! BASIL?!"

All three had scrambled, Hero moving backward while Kel and Aubrey shot up to standing. They were moved instantaneously elsewhere, and Basil was gone.

What did not help matters was Mari and Omori. They were present, seemingly just having a picnic when these three very shocked friends appeared out of thin air.

Mari was quick to stand up in concern. "What happened?"

"Basil! H-he was-We finished the puzzle, and he fell over and then-We need to go back to the white room!" Kel had sputtered this out. Aubrey didn't stick around to talk, sprinting towards the Neighbor's room. Omori stood then. "I should...let them in." A nod from Mari as he ran to follow, Hero and Kel close behind.

* * *

**Welcome to-**

* * *

"BASIL?!" Aubrey was looking around frantically within white space. Basil was gone. He had vanished entirely.

"Aubrey? Is he here?" Kel was the second to arrive.

"NO! He's gone! I-i don't see any sign of him! Where did he go!"

"I don't know! Is there any other doors here?!"

Hero arrived next, overhearing their concern as he approached the laptop. It displayed nothing but static now. Unresponsive.

Omori was the third to arrive. He was quickly accosted by Aubrey. "Where's basil?!" "I don't-" "Is there another door here? Something?!" "No." Aubrey growled before she turned and started shouting for Basil again, rushing off into the white. Hero was confused when he saw her loop around from behind him, causing them both to pause and look around. This place loops in on itself. He couldn't have run off.

Mari was the last one to arrive, and her expression was grim. Her presence caused the others to stop their scrambled search and give her the floor.

"You solved the puzzle, right...? That means..."

Omori finished the statement.

"Black Space is open."


	18. Welcome

That...is a very long way down.

Kel looked over the edge of the floorboards within Basil's weird shoe dream house. He wish he got to see this place before it turned into a literal nightmare pit. Now it's just a sheer drop down to...somewhere. He couldn't see the bottom. Or the sides for that matter! It was just. Empty.

"And you're certain this is the best way into Black Space?" He heard Aubrey speaking to Omori behind him.

"Yes." Omori was as blunt as ever.

"And you're certain this won't hurt any of us?"

"The fall won't."

That did not inspire confidence.

Hero was sitting against the wall, clearly very stressed out. Aubrey was pacing now. As for himself? Well...He was just trying to get the courage to make the jump.

"FUCK IT!"

He heard Aubrey shout before he looked at her, seeing her making a running start before leaping into the pit. He was quick to look down, only seeing her for a second before she vanished in the shadows.

Kel took one last glance behind him, at a Hero quickly rising up to a stand, at Omori who spoke one last time.

"Be careful."

Kel nodded, then turned, closing his eyes and leaping forward.

* * *

Omori watched as Kel leapt into Black Space. He saw Hero give a little nod towards him before he walked closer to the pit. He lowered himself to sit on the wooden planks before scooting himself forward to join the others.

They had all taken the dive. They'd sink deeper than the Abyss. They'd see things they shouldn't.

Omori turned and exited the house. He'll repair it soon.

Mari was waiting outside. She sat by the reddened water with a worried look on her face. When Omori stepped outside, she turned and huffed a bit. Minor sisterly disappointment.

"Omori...Why did you take Basil to Black Space? I doubt you'll let him come to any harm, but did you have to worry his friends like that?"

"V."

"...What?"

"The V Key. Why did you have it."

Mari sighed as she righted herself. "I found it last time I was down in Deep Well. I was having a picnic with the sisters when I found it."

"You can't pick those up."

"I can't? Or I shouldn't? Omori, I've been to Black Space too, a great many times. There was no harm in grabbing a key to it."

"You let them go to Black Space."

"You gave them a reason to go."

They both stared at each other for a moment. A moment later, Mari sighed. "There's no reason for us to argue about it now. Just make sure they don't get hurt please? I'll fix some steak for you if you do."

Omori paused to think for a moment. "...Okay."

* * *

Kel hit the bottom of the pit with a splash. He wish he had his eyes open now, he didn't realize he was going to hit water, and he wasn't prepared. He swam up only to cough up the lake water that filled his nostrils.

He looked around to get his bearings. Lake? Pond? Body of water near a tree line...but everything was black. It was all visible regardless, thankfully. He started to swim to the shore, where he saw Aubrey was wringing out her hair and jacket and waiting for the others.

It was when he reached and began to step up the shore that he heard a loud splash behind him. He turned to see at first nothing before Hero came out of the water, coughing a bit. Seems he wasn't ready for that either.

"Y'know...I wish Omori warned us that there'd be water at the bottom." Kel spoke with a shiver, shaking his hair out slightly and wringing his jersey a tad. It was cold here. Being wet wasn't helping.

"Have to agree with you this time." "That's a rare sentence from you." "Oh shut it." Kel snickered at Aubrey's response.

Hero stepped out of the blackened waters then. "S-s-so, is everyone ok-k-kay?" Oh jeez he was shivering a lot.

"Dude, do you need to borrow my jacket...Actually scratch that, I don't think it'd fit."

"T-thank you Aubrey but I'll be fine once I d-d-dry off a bit..."

There was only one way to go: Forward. A spider web blocked the path, causing Hero to freeze like a statue as Aubrey cleared them out with some swings of her bat. Kel had to do a quick sweep for spiders and a mention that Basil was waiting for them before he shook it off enough to continue forward.

Steps. Hundreds of them. None of them were looking forward to that climb.

None of them were prepared for what was waiting at the top.

Aubrey reached the top first and promptly froze. Kel didn't know why until he walked up to join her.

...

Mari was here.

The Real Mari.

Kel...didn't recall the funeral. His memories of that day were locked away. But even so he could recognize Mari.

She looked exactly as she did then. Beautiful. Like she was just sleeping, in the midst of a deep dream. White Egrets surrounded her, filled her casket.

Kel blinked, realizing he was crying. So was Aubrey. So was Hero. He had to remind himself that it was okay to cry here.

Hero noticeably had to calm his breathing, keeping his eyes shut and mentally counting between breaths. Of course this would hurt the worst for him.

"Cheap...fffucking TRICK!" The response threw off his train of thought immensely. Aubrey was crying, but she grit her teeth and marched forward. She looked absolutely furious. He didn't fully understand why. He didn't know that she saw this as some cruel joke, making them see this again.

Then Mari got up.

Kel and Aubrey screamed, Kel falling back onto his butt. He looked behind him to notice the stairs were gone, replaced by a flat floor. The dream didn't want him falling down a flight of stairs...Of course it wouldn't.

Hero was the next to scream. Kel looked forward to see Mari wasn't herself anymore. Her eyes were empty, and she gripped her jaw as it stretched far too low. Her skin began to turn white, her hair tangled-

And she was gone.

Kel was stunned silent. He didn't know what just happened. It was a nightmare. He was thankful he turned away for that second. It meant he didn't see everything that occurred.

Aubrey screamed and collapsed on her knees. She began to sob. She lowered her head and hid herself in her arms.

Hero wept more quietly from his spot, gently moving down to sit and hold his chest and head. He was trying not to hyperventilate.

And Kel? Kel was...dumbfounded. He didn't know what to do. How to react.

...He wasn't hurt as much as the other two.

He had to be the one to help the others this time. He had to take Hero's place this time.

He gently stood up and went to Hero first, kneeling down and offering a hand for him to hold. Hero took it, Kel helping his raise to a stand.

He and his brother hugged. He needed the support. He needed someone to tell him it was okay.

Aubrey did too.

He only let go of Hero when he thought he could, Hero sniffling and more composed, before he gently reached down to help Aubrey. She moved to slap him away, causing him to retract his hand. Instead, he just sat down next to her and waited.

She got up after a moment, seeing Kel and moving to lean against him as she cried.

...

Kel lost track of time.

Hero and Aubrey were both sitting by him, leaning on him. Hero had regained his composure. Aubrey had quieted down, a few quiet sniffles escaping past the pink bangs that hid her features.

He gently reached to the both of them to shake them to attention. Kel was not good at keeping a straight face, a serious composure, but he had to for his friends.

"Basil's waiting for us."

...

They all stood where the coffin was. Where Mari was.

All that stood in front of them now was a black door that cast a heavy shadow.

* * *

**W E L C O M E T O**

**B L A C K S P A C E**

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am on a ROLL right now! Thank you everyone for your support!
> 
> To those asking if I've been pushing myself to write, I very much appreciate the concern! But I am doing quite well, just been bored and this is a fantastic way to pass the time.


	19. Manic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goodbye, Kel.

* * *

**W E L C O M E T O**

**B L A C K S P A C E**

* * *

Kel opened his eyes.

He was somewhere dark. He was laying on something vaguely soft, like a thin blanket on a hardwood floor. All he could see was a light bulb glowing in the black.

He didn't know how long he looked at the light before he sat up, looking around.

...

He was alone.

He was alone in this dark place.

He hated it.

...

Wait, why was he here again?

Basil went missing! He came here with Aubrey and Hero to find him, make sure he was safe! How did he forget that?! Now's not the time to be air headed Kel, come on!

Focus! You're alone, Hero and Aubrey aren't here. What happened before you woke up here?

There was that nightmarish encounter with a fake Mari, that was horrid, then you opened the black door and...here you are.

He was missing something. There was a gap in his memories. They had been split up somehow. Okay, first order of business: Find everyone else. Then you can focus your efforts on Basil, then they can all leave!

Kel stood up, taking a glance around this blackened space. Dozens of doors, all identical. This doesn't make things easy.

This one's closest. Start here!

* * *

Kel looked inside the black door.

This was the Neighbor's room...kind of. It stretched out very, very far. He could only barely make out the yellow cat at the end, but something felt...

...

Kel shook his head. If this is some weird way out, he'll come here later. If it's not, no reason to go looking. This room was making the hair stick up on end, goose bumps covering his arms and shoulders.

He shut the door.

Let's try a different one.

* * *

Oh this was already far better than that last one.

This one was some sort of weird pink beach. It was far brighter than the black room he opened the door into.

...

...Man, this place seemed to stretch on forever. He kept walking along the shoreline, looking out into the sea and down the beach. Wait, was this looping? Kel walked over and drew a smiley face in the sand with his shoe, then continued walking. There it is again, it is looping!

...Or maybe not? Something new's here. He left the shoreline and stepped towards the beach chair he could now spot. Someone was laying face down on it in blue trunks, the chair reclined as far back as possible.

Hero?

Why did Hero change into trunks? This wasn't the time to be lounging! Kel ran up to him.

"Hero-!"

He then froze in his tracks, his voice dying in his throat.

He knew this look. Not his outfit but his face. This...isn't the Hero he knows today. This is the Hero he knew five years ago. This was when Hero wouldn't get out of bed. This is when Hero would barely eat.

He could only see Hero's eye, and he glared at him angrily from his spot.

...

Kel...felt he shouldn't say anything.

He knew what happened last time.

He would...leave...Hero be. As hard as that was.

He can't help him anyway.

* * *

Kel wiped his eyes upon exiting the doorway. He found himself crying, something he didn't even realize he was doing.

That wasn't something he wanted to be reminded of. That night when Hero lashed out at him. He forgave him for it, he wasn't well at the time. That didn't make it hurt less.

Focus. Find the others, find Basil. He needs to be mature right now, for the sake of his friends. He'll deal with these emotions when he knows they're safe.

The two closest doors have been bad. Let's try the furthest one now.

* * *

It's raining.

Kel tried and failed to shake water out of his hair as he looked around. This was his neighborhood, but...twisted, slightly. Things seemed off center and monochrome, everything a deep shade of black or gray. The houses looked like they weren't painted either, but like they were covered in a thin layer of chalk.

He didn't like this. He was beginning to shiver. He needed to find the others.

If this was the neighborhood, then this was his house. Hero might be home. He opened the door, stepping upstairs carefully given their slanted shape before reaching their room.

Hero...was in bed. He was giving the same look. Even as his sheets crinkled like tin foil and he shivered, he looked at Kel with...disdain.

Kel shrank.

...He wished he was smarter. He wished he could help. But all he can do for Hero is make things worse like last time.

...

He left and went to Aubrey's house. Even in this place, it was littered with trash. He opened the door to look inside, some mannequin in place of Aubrey's sole parent in front of a broken flashing television.

...He shouldn't be here. Aubrey hates him now. She'd just try to hit him with her bat. He'll just.

He'll just go.

...He'll just go home.

...

He wished he was more mature. He wished he could be more like an adult and less like a child.

He saw Sunny's house.

How long had it been since he saw Sunny? 4 years?

Maybe he should...go say Hi.

...

Kel kept walking home.

* * *

This wasn't his home. This was back in the black room.

Right. This place. He was. Looking for someone.

Basil! He was looking for Basil.

...Could he even help Basil?

...

Kel didn't want to be alone.

Kel looked for a specific door.

* * *

The Neighbor's Room. Or...Neighbor's hallway. This was...where his friends hung out, when Omori wasn't there.

His friends. He wouldn't be alone here.

He walked.

Then he began to run.

He didn't even notice the bridge of hands he crossed.

He didn't even notice the weird sensation in his chest, the bubbling feeling of laughter.

He didn't even notice the yellow glow surrounding him.

His friends were here! He wasn't alone here!

He saw Hero and Aubrey looking dejected until he arrived, Hero smiling widely at seeing his brother's presence. Aubrey rolled her eyes, but she cracked a small smile regardless.

"There you are Kel! Where have you been?" Hero asked as he hugged him.

"I was trying to find Basil, but I guess he's not home today."

"Oh boo." Aubrey pouted. "Well, since you're here at least, we can play together!"

He can help his friends this way! By being the immature kid he was! He wasn't fit to be an adult, He would only make the depressed Hero angry, he'd only make the enraged Aubrey angrier, he'd only make everything worse.

But he could play. He could play and make his friends happy with toy and joke and candy!

He was so happy he found Hero and Aubrey. He was so happy he didn't even notice their features were over-saturated, their eyes and mouth bleeding into the skin of their faces. He was so ecstatic, he didn't even notice the Yellow Cat was a massive fraudulent version of it's regular self.

He had his friends. He had his games. He wasn't alone, and he wouldn't hurt anyone by being childish anymore.

And because of that,

**Kel became Manic**


	20. Furious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goodbye, Aubrey.

Twisting

Bending

Distorting

Ruining

Staining

Breaking

Everything that comes down here is poisoned by trauma.

Everything that comes down here is infused with guilt.

Everything that comes down here loses hope.

* * *

**W E L C O M E T O**

**B L A C K S P A C E**

* * *

Aubrey rose with a gasp.

Was this Black Space? Certainly seemed like it. It was a blackened version of that white room she slotted those keys into. There was a light bulb hanging from this wire, that's why the one in the white room was electrified.

...Where's Hero? Where's Kel?

Oh god dammit, they got separated?! How? They got passed that...that fake Mari, Oohh just thinking about it make her want to crack the skull of whoever set it up. They opened that black door, and here she was. Great. She can't pin when they got separated.

Okay, this is more complicated now. Gotta find Hero and Kel alongside Basil. Aubrey held her bat confidently. Omori warned them it might be dangerous here, so she was ready.

Doors doors doors...No markers on any of them. Random choice then, this one.

* * *

Oh GOD what the HELL is this?!

It's so bright, it's a rainbow mess of flashing lights and rainbow of colors, The sky and the floor are the same and why oh why do they keep spinning?!

Oh lord it was hurting her eyes to be here, Okay, look around, move on.

Aubrey squinted as she walked. She wasn't entirely sure how she was walking as well as she was with how much the floor seemed to be moving. She came across a big white house, but the only way in was a mouse hole. She came across giant white...dolls? Statues? She couldn't get a good look at them without her eyes hating her for looking at the sky.

"HI I'M LOQ-"

"FUCK-!"

Aubrey spun on her heel, aiming her bat at...a giant blue cat. Thing. Despite her spinning and aiming at it, it kept talking.

"-UACIOUS CAT ASK ME ANYTHING"

This thing was so strange looking. It looked like a child's drawing but...alive, and present.

Aubrey almost felt the need to shout over the colors surrounding her. "Uh. Okay then fine, Where's Hero and Kel?"

"A PAIR OF RUSTY SCISSORS"

Aubrey twitched. Oh she was so not in the mood for this. "Stop joking around, Where is Hero and Kel?"

"A TOMATO MADE OF CLOTH"

Aubrey stepped forward and swung her bat at it. She saw it make a dent, confetti shooting out of it's now dented head. It felt like hitting a pinata. "TELL ME WHERE THEY ARE, ASSHOLE!"

"TWO YARDS OF LEATHER"

Aubrey roared as she brought the bat down again. Each strike made more confetti shoot out, now alongside the sound of party blowers. She screamed as it deformed. "WHERE. IS. BASIL?!"

"LOTS OF LITTLE PINS"

Crunch! Confetti! Crunch! A balloon popped somewhere! Crunch! A monotone baseball! Crunch! A dropped pair of shears! Crunch!

"A BROKEN LIGHTBULB"

* * *

Aubrey stumbled back into the black room.

She was sweating. Her eyes were watering. She felt blind now, walking from the madness light show that was that room back into the black. She looked at her baseball bat, starting to pull popped balloons and confetti from the nails.

That thing...That thing pissed her off to no end. It pretended to care, than ignored her. It pretended it could help, then did nothing but mock.

Whatever! It's gone now! Who cares, next door!

* * *

Oh good, this one's not hurting her eyes to look at.

This was...what, a lab? There was a table with-Oh god that's a cat.

"Mewo has been very, very bad." A standing butler with the head of a cat spoke nearby.

Wait, that's Mewo? Mari's cat? What is it doing strapped to the table?! She ran to the table, feeling her stomach lurch when she saw the tools nearby. Tools to dissect.

She tried to pull at the restraints, but she couldn't make any leeway on them without hurting Mewo. She grabbed the knife and tried to pry at the restraints, to little avail.

"Mewo has been-"

"SHUT UP AND HELP ME GET HER OUT!"

"I will help you punish her, if you wish."

Aubrey didn't even think before she slammed the bat into the butler's head. This time, there was blood. This time, there was no pretenses.

How _dare_ he do this to Mewo? To someone so important to Mari?! One of the few things that she _knew_ cared about her!

How _dare_ you!

**How _dare_ you!**

"Waiting for something to happen?"

* * *

Aubrey was covered in blood.

The blood of someone who wanted to kill someone important. She felt no remorse for that thing. No regret to her actions.

Next door.

* * *

This was Sunny's house.

It was as though he never moved away. It was like he was still living here, just one street above her.

But she had little time to wonder how she got here, how Sunny came back, before she looked outside the sliding door.

Mari.

She was hanging from the tree in the backyard.

Aubrey's mind went blank. She began to try and force the door open, but she could. It was sealed shut. She took her bat to it, but found it bounced off as though the door were made of steel.

Mari's out there, she's hurt, she's-She's dead! Someone needs to get her! Someone needs to help her!

Aubrey screamed out for help, scrambling around the house. She ran to the kitchen, seeing Sunny's mother, Mari's mother.

She was too upset to notice she had no facial features. No eyes, no mouth, no expression.

"HELP! Help, It's Mari, s-she's in the tree, she needs help!-" She screamed as tears stained her cheeks.

Mari's mother did not move.

Aubrey was stunned. "Mari's DEAD! HELP ME!!!" She screamed again. Mari's mother did not move.

She didn't care.

Sunny. Sunny cared. He had to! This was his sister! Aubrey ran up the stairs and ran to his door, finding it locked. She slammed on it, trying to open it.

"SUNNY! SUNNY HELP! MARI'S IN TROUBLE!"

There was no response.

She slammed her head against the door, causing a spot of blood to mark it as she continued to struggle. Only then did Sunny open the door. He didn't have a face either.

"Thank god-Sunny, Come here! We need to help Mari! We need to-" She turned to go downstairs with him. She then heard his door shut.

He was more interested in hiding in his room than helping his sister.

He didn't care.

Aubrey was beginning to go into hysterics as she ran outside the front door. There were people on the sidewalk. There were people driving cars. There were people having barbecues and playing outdoors.

None had eyes to see what was happening.

"SOMEONE! ANYONE!? HELP! HELP ME!" But they didn't have ears to hear.

Rattle.

Rattle.

Rattle.

Aubrey swung at someone passing by in desperation.

It was Kel. Faceless. The only mark on his face were the new bleeding holes the bat made. His head cracked like a flower pot as it leaked.

_You don't care either, do you?_

Kel got up and continued walking.

_Nobody cared._

_Mari was Dead. And No one Cared._

Aubrey stopped hearing the blowing of the wind. She only heard static.

She stopped seeing Kel. She saw someone else. Someone who never cared. Someone who was beginning to shatter like fine porcelain under her strikes, blood leaking through the cracks.

Nobody cared. She was alone. Mari was dead.

She was so enfumed she didn't notice the red glow surrounding her.

As she got up from the shattered effigy of Kel, she realized no one here would ever care.

And because of that,

**Aubrey became Furious.**


	21. Miserable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goodbye, Hero.

Falling

Falling

Falling

Falling

Falling

Falling

Down to your lowest point.

Down to your most vulnerable.

Down to the darkest day.

* * *

**W E L C O M E T O**

**B L A C K S P A C E**

* * *

Hero slowly opened his eyes.

A light bulb shined overhead.

He was alone.

...

This wasn't his room.

Hero stood up then, dusting himself off. This was...That's right. He was looking for Basil. He needed help, and then he just vanished. So he came here with Aubrey and Kel.

And now he was alone.

He opened that black door after...

After that.

Remembering her hurt. It always did. It always would. Seeing her like that again, resting peacefully...

He shook his head. Now wasn't the time. He needed to find Basil. He needed to find Kel and Aubrey. They could be in trouble, and it was his job to make sure they were okay.

It was always up to him, in the end.

...

Dozens of doors. They could be in any one of them. They could be split up, or all in one group.

He wouldn't know unless he began.

He opened the closest door.

...

He closed the closest door.

Spiders.

Dozens. Hundreds. Maybe more.

Absolutely not.

...

He made a mental note of this door. If they're not in any of the other doors, then he would find the bravery to go through that one. He was, however, saving it for last.

Another one then.

* * *

Wooden planks of gray. Water below. Scaffolding above. A great full moon in the sky.

He wasn't sure what else he was expecting after seeing the spider room. It wasn't this.

It was...almost nice, honestly. No where else to go but up.

A tree growing on the planks. A bed with clean sheets outside in the night. Hop Scotch Chalk Lines.

Basil.

...

Basil.

Stuck in what seemed like an elevator.

His neck was crushed. His body was pale and unmoving, features gaunt.

The floorboards were stained brown with aged blood.

...

Hero scrambled to the side of the scaffolding. He vomited. He looked into the gray waters as his mind raced.

Basil is Dead.

Not again. Please not again.

This isn't real.

This is a Dream.

A nightmare.

He's had many nightmares of dead friends.

Of her.

Dead loved ones.

Be rational!

The blood. It's old. Very old.

Basil has been missing for two hours tops. This body had to have been here for at least a few days to be this aged.

His gut churned as he looked again. He set aside his emotions for just a second to inspect.

No decomposition.

It's a dream, why would it decompose?

Too old to be the Real Basil.

There's other versions of Hero.

Maybe this is a fake Basil?

Had to be.

Hero tried to pry his eyes off of this dead duplicate to try and find answers when he ascended higher. He found none.

He found the Tree House. He found nothing inside but confusion and disorientation.

Toy. Table. Cards. Game. Plant.

It's all so, so wrong.

* * *

Hero was thankful to be back in the black room. Away from that.

This place...was morbid. This place was horrid. A fear suddenly rose from within his gut. What if Kel or Aubrey see this? What if they see something similar?

They might not know what to look for. They might think that's the real Basil.

He had to find them quick.

* * *

A black forest.

Black trees. Black grass.

Black sky.

Broken dead trees lined the path. Hero began to walk, began to look for them. He had to find them.

"Liar."

He halted, turning to face the thick grove to his left.

"...I'm not a Liar."

A pause. Then he began to walk again.

He came across a hole in the ground. A pit to nowhere, to a gray madness. This place was deteriorating as he went further.

...Focus! Focus. You need to be strong. You need to be strong for your friends.

"Liar."

"Shut up!" Hero turned and snapped at nothing that time.

Okay, fine, he didn't need to be strong, but he needed to be _present._ They might be lost and scared, and it was better to be lost and scared together than alone.

"Liar Liar Liar."

"STOP! I'm NOT Lying! Stop saying that!"

Nothing good from him being alone in dark times!

"Liar."

"SHUT UP!" He grabbed a branch and threw it in the vague direction of the voice.

Stop it stop it stop it! Leave me alone! You want me to be alone?! Then leave me alone!

He began to run faster, only slowing down to avoid the pits. Until he reached the end.

It was

a tree trunk

with Something

hanging just above it.

Hero looked at this mass of hair. This hair ball. This floating eye.

He looked closer.

He looked _closer._

White Dress. Bare feet.

Broken Neck.

Strained Smile.

Mari.

He collapsed on his knees.

This was Mari. The real one.

She was dead. A ghost. A corpse. And yet here she was.

She looked down at him. This dead thing was all that was left of her. Of the one he loved.

Would Sunny kill this one too?

This is all that was left. His memories, and this.

And it spoke.

And she spoke.

"Hero...I love you."

* * *

Hero walked slowly through the blackened room.

He was weighed down, but only faintly. He felt a pair of hands around his shoulders, gently hands holding onto him as Mari drifted behind him.

She was so cold.

She was so, so cold.

A gently tug on his sleeve, pointing him toward a specific door.

"Hero...I love you."

This one then. For her.

* * *

This was his room.

This was Hero's room.

She wanted him to be home, to be comfortable. To spend time with her. She was always so, so considerate.

And now she's gone.

He walked over to his bed, lifting the covers as he slipped under the sheets.

He had a glass of water and a protein bar near his bed. There was no other reason to get up now.

Now it was just him. And now it was just her.

What's left.

"Hero...I love you."

"I love you too, Mari."

She smiled. Her face could barely move.

Rigor mortis.

He held her hands as she gently floated beside him. If the bed was bigger, she'd be in it with him. He held her hand.

It was cold.

Stiff.

Dead.

It was all he had left.

He'd never be able to feel her warm hands again.

He'd never be able to feel her soft kiss.

He'd never be able to feel her clean hair.

He'd never be able to be with her.

Never again.

Is it even worth it, then?

Mari was Dead.

And because of that,

**Hero became Miserable.**


	22. Calm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello, Basil.

IHAVETOTELLYOUSOMETHING

* * *

The moment the puzzle was completed, I could see them. I could see all of them.

Strangers. Shadows. Other versions of me. Basils.

The moment the puzzle was completed, I began to know what they knew.

The Basils that were here, the ones that existed within the dream, had all been lost. Hurt. Killed.

The moment the puzzle was completed, I began to remember what they remembered.

A new Basil was born every time the last was killed here. All to keep up the facade.

I remember having a picnic with my friends within the dungeons of Sweetheart's castle. Kel made a face when Mari pulled out a jar of pickles. Aubrey started to pick on him.

_My head burst like a watermelon. It was so fast. I didn't feel any pain._

I remember being lifted by Boss, unable to escape his grip. My friends saved me, but I could tell he was lonely and hurt. I forgave him. I hope he understands.

_Hundreds of spiders bit and tore until there was nothing left._

I remember teaching everyone to make flower crowns. Hero was so determined. I think he wanted to make it as a gift to Mari.

_My neck was crushed within elevator doors._

I remember wandering an empty church devoid of color until Omori found me and saved me.

_I was bleeding. Kel had hurt me. Aubrey stepped up with her bat over her shoulder._

I remember

My skin melted off in the rain.

Omori smiled when I mentioned how flowers loved the rain.

I remember

I fell down a great pit. I shattered when I hit the bottom.

Omori managed to get over his fear of heights, just to save me.

I remember

Drowning in mud and blood.

Seeing Kel play in a mud pit and throw some at Aubrey, causing her to scream.

I remember

Being trapped in a wall to die of starvation.

Hero taught me the importance of ensuring I eat enough.

I remember

Being digested, burning, burning.

Omori made sure Humphrey would never eat another innocent soul again.

I remember

I had my eyes removed. I bled out.

Aubrey complimented my eyes. I couldn't help but blush. Kel teased me.

I remember

I was left alone in the dark. I couldn't find a way out. There was no water.

Omori gently holding onto my arm, afraid of the dark.

I remember

I'm remembering.

I've remembered.

* * *

**W E L C O M E T O**

**B L A C K S P A C E**

* * *

"-Killed me."

It was all too much.

I remembered things from so many others.

I remembered things from only myself.

A mess of colors and feelings. Memories of friends mixed with death in the darkest of places. Short lives, cut short only to be remade.

And I remembered _why._

It was all just too much. Too many memories that were only vaguely my own. Too many experiences with death. Too many memories that melded and mixed together, all similar but unique.

"Sshh...Take a deep breath. It's not as scary as you think."

I heard someone talking. Someone who wasn't Hero. Who wasn't Kel. Who wasn't Aubrey. Who wasn't Mari.

I hiccuped, trying to take as deep a breath as I could before shakily exhaling. I felt a hand take mine. It felt like Sunny's hand, but far too warm.

It took time. I cried and coughed and sneezed. But after a while, I began to finally get my thoughts in order.

I learned to CALM DOWN.

* * *

I gently opened my eyes after a time. I felt like I fell asleep in the midst of my panic, but I didn't wake up in reality. Not yet.

This was Black Space. I could recognize it even without seeing the doors and the hanging wire. Though the light bulb hanging from the wire was new, the faint glow illuminated nothing this far down.

I've been here many times. Omori brought me here every time I discovered the truth behind Mari's death. Then he killed me. Then he saved me. And then it started over again.

All to keep what we did hidden away. To protect Sunny.

I had sat up, only to notice I was wrapped up in a blanket. This was a black picnic blanket normally spread under the wire, but it was curled around me like a sleeping bag. I gently got out of it, only to notice my hands and skin.

I was no longer mint green in hue. I was no longer younger and shorter. I was myself, my real self. I gently touched my head, pricking myself on a thorn. Something was still here with me, but right now it was simply present, not biting into my scalp, not demanding a tithe of tears.

It was when I stood and unwrapped the blanket from myself that I saw Omori.

He was standing a short ways away, waiting for me. And I...

I missed him.

I missed Sunny. But I had so many memories of Omori now, of being with him in this place. They were dreams. They weren't even my dreams. But I could still recall those feelings.

In the past, I would've waited here for him to rescue me. Now, I know what needs to be done.

"...Hello Omori."

"...Hi Basil."

"You...need to take me somewhere, right? To...do what you need to do."

Omori nodded silently.

And I...I wasn't scared. It was the strangest thing. I knew this was a dream, I would not die in reality. And now...I recalled doing this so many times in the past. Knowing what I couldn't before just makes this a formality.

Omori gently pointed toward the blanket. "It's cold, where we need to go. Take it."

* * *

His warning was justified.

We walked through snow, up a solitary hill with a church on the top.

This is...where he normally saved me.

"Omori...You know you don't have to do this yet, right?"

He stopped and turned with a faint look of confusion.

"I-i know what you need to do. You need to kill me, right? Before you can save me here?"

I wasn't entirely sure how, but I saw Omori pale. Somehow, the black and white boy grew even whiter. He took a breath himself and shook his head.

"No. Not this time."

I just nodded and kept following. Whatever he needed to do, I was willing. I had died for him, after all.

I would die for Sunny if it meant keeping him safe.

* * *

The inside of the church was no warmer than the outside. The pews were filled with crude scribbles in the place of people. They may as well have been filled with cardboard. No one else was here besides Omori and I.

...and Something. Not the one I know. The one behind Sunny, that day when I hurt him.

It "sat" in one of the pews, hovering so it's hair draped over the seat to make it appear it was sitting. It's eye faced me, but it made no other movements. I wasn't the one it follows.

I followed Omori up the steps, past the pews and into the red behind the windows.

...I don't know this place.

I was always rescued here, in the church. Not behind it. Not through these windows. This place of red. This place of limbs. I had no memory of this place.

Omori halted then. I stopped as well, tilting my head as he looked at me, his eyes looking close to tears.

"B-basil..."He paused to wipe his eyes for a moment.

"Omori? What's wrong?"

There was a pause before he finally started to speak again.

**"I have to tell you something."**

* * *

Basil...Please listen. I don't want to have to say this more than once. I don't think I can. It's so hard to speak. It always has been. I wasn't created to speak. I was created to protect.

I was born to protect Sunny from what he did. For the first four years of my life, I did exactly as I was made to do.

I made my friends. I made my sister. I made a place for us to escape to, to live in happily away from reality. There was nothing left there for either of us. I took everything cruel, everything that hurt Sunny, and I buried it here. Past the deepest sea, far beyond where Sunny could reach. My hope was it couldn't reach Sunny. But I was always wrong.

It would always bubble up to the surface. And when it did, it would always touch your mind. You would always find out the truth. That Mari was dead. That Sunny had killed her. It was malicious. It knew we cared about you. It knew you were hurt by the truth too.

Every time it happened, I would take you down here, to Black Space. Every time it happened, I would remove the truth from you. I would cut it away from your body like a surgeon cutting away cancer.

It killed you, but that meant nothing here. It was temporary. It was a wound, one I would always fix. And then I would save you from this place, and take you back to our friends again.

And we'd live happily in our world until the truth bubbled up again. And then I would cut it away again.

It was a cycle. One I had grown use to. I hurt you, but you never remembered, because I cut away those memories. And if you didn't remember the pain, then did it really happen?

...But then something changed.

Sunny stopped hiding from Reality. And the truth became far stronger than ever before. The cancer became terminal. The world I made, my home, was doomed to rot under reality.

But I still had a duty to fulfill. I had to protect Sunny. So I needed to make a decision.

He would not be able to hide from the truth. I could keep it from him, so instead I had to know how to protect him despite it. I had to know how to live despite it.

I had to know what he felt. I had to know how the truth felt. He made me to protect him from it, to keep it away...so I had to know why.

So I...

Basil, I...

I killed you.

Permanently.

Finally.

I had to.

I had to know the pain of loss. The guilt of killing someone you loved. I had to know what the truth felt like. Only then could I fulfill my purpose.

I am not real. I am a creation, an imaginary friend. I'm just a part of Sunny. So if I had to martyr myself to protect Sunny, then I would.

This was to kill the truth once and for all.

That's what I said when I killed you.

I was wrong. I was wrong.

I'm so sorry.

I couldn't live with what I had done.

And I knew...neither could Sunny.

I knew as soon as the truth was free, he would want to die. Because the truth of what I had done had made me want to die. So...I tried to save him.

I tried to kill him.

Us.

So he wouldn't hurt anymore.

So I wouldn't hurt anymore.

* * *

Omori fell to the floor then. He began to weep, the soft sound of a younger sunny echoing through this red place.

Omori was Miserable.

I...of course I didn't remember this place. This is the where I died. This is where the Dream version of Basil met his end.

But I remember all of his past selves. And I remember how deeply Omori cared for me.

I remember how much Omori cares for me. I remember how much Sunny cares for me.

So I gently walked forward and lowered myself to be on his level and I hugged him.

I forgave him.

But I didn't say that out loud.

He wouldn't accept it. I knew. So I just stayed there for him. I let him cling to me and sob. I let him whimper out apologies. I let him cry.

...

He stood after a time. I rose with him, gently taking his hand as he lead me forward. He quietly talked as we stepped ahead.

"You're...Your body. It's up ahead. Is that...okay? Can you see it?"

My own corpse. I remember dying numerous different ways.

"Yes. I can see it."

* * *

I saw myself.

I was in a coffin. I looked...peaceful. Like I was asleep. I was wearing the same pastel overalls I had always worn in the dream. My flower crown was off my head, placed over my hands. I was wearing gardening gloves, and I was holding a pair of shears.

The coffin was filled with White Tulips. So many so that they were growing out of the strange red ground around us.

In the language of flowers, a White Tulip means "Forgive Me."

I saw Omori gently walk ahead, just past the coffin to a flight of red stairs. I couldn't see what await at the peak of the stairs, but I could see the massive red hands that surrounded the steps.

"Basil...Could you take those shears?"

I looked at myself in the coffin. I hated the idea of taking anything from the dead...but this was me. And I remembered the times I had when I was alive. I could take it.

As I gently lifted the shears, I couldn't help but notice my hands, my corpse's hands, weren't correct. The fingers bent at the knuckle unnaturally. I was careful to make sure that didn't happen anymore, gently taking the shears.

I then looked forward to see Omori pointing a knife at me.

"...Omori?" I swallowed. There was a bubbling fear in my gut now. This was...different, from the other times he killed me.

I don't recall the last time he killed me here...and when he did, I was dead. Permanently.

As I saw Omori take a step forward, brandishing his knife, red hands rising out from behind him poised to strike, I heard him speak.

"Basil."

"I need you to kill me."


	23. Soothed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's okay now, Kel.

Sunny sat within his bathroom, on the floor in front of the mirror and sink.

He had just finished having a panic attack. He wish he knew the reason behind it. It's not like his panic attacks always had reasons behind it, but there was a very specific feeling when the panic attack seemed meaningless. He'd _feel_ mentally fine even as his body reacted to some unknown stressors. This wasn't like those times. He could feel his thoughts spiraling to dark places, to fears for the safety of his friends and to the invasive wishes he so desperately wanted to be rid of.

His hands felt less numb now. He got up and went to the mirror, running the sink and cleaning his face.

He idly saw Something floating beside him within the reflection. Ah. That's the first time he's seen it in reality in 3 weeks. Gotta make a note of that for the therapist.

Exasperated and exhausted, he got a cup of water before he returned to bed, opening his journal on his nightstand to record the hallucination. That's another conversation in the future he wasn't looking forward to.

...In bed again. It's almost 5 in the morning now. If he wakes up again after only a few minutes, he's just going to stay up.

Breathe in. Count. Breath out. Count. Breathe in...

...

* * *

**Welcome to White Space.**

**He has been living here for as long as you can remember...**

* * *

Sunny opened his eyes within White Space. This safe place...he had nothing to hide from. He had no reason to be here. Alas, here he was.

He was asleep, at least. It's better to be within White Space and wait then to lie awake in bed. And so, he lowered himself to the floor and waited.

...

Someone else was here.

Not Something. Something was always here. Something was prone nearby, its presence was not what he felt.

He felt some _one_.

He sat up and scanned the room. Mewo was present, idly toying with a strand of Something's hair like it was a piece of yarn. So who...

Mari.

The Dream Mari. Mental clarification was important when she was involved.

She looked different. Gone was the blue-tinged black hair and blue stained skin. Now she was tinged in a purple hue, one he didn't recall seeing on anyone within headspace, and her hair was a shade lighter than before.

She heard him as he approached, turning and standing quickly. He took a step closer and then halted, awkwardly putting her arms behind her.

He knew what she wanted to do, and why she didn't do it. Sunny extended his arms to his side, Dream Mari stepping forward to hug him tightly.

It hurt. It always felt nice to be hugged by his sister. It hurt so, so bad.

"Sunny...Something's gone wrong." She spoke while they hugged.

He gently let go to take a step back. He tilted his head, wanting clarification. Dream Mari hesitated before she asked.

"Have you...invited your friends over, recently?"

...What? He can't exactly do that. He lives several hours away from Faraway.

"I don't mean in Realspace. I mean here, in Headspace."

That's impossible.

He saw Mari bit her lip.

What. No, they can't be here.

"Sunny...They are. They're here."

That's ridiculous. His friends can't visit him in his own head.

"It is ridiculous, but it's true. And they're...where they shouldn't be."

This isn't some weird prank. Mari was too serious in expression. And where they shouldn't be, she can't mean Black Space.

...

She does mean Black Space.

He still didn't believe her.

"You don't have to believe me, but please at least go to Black Space and look. If I'm wrong and it's nothing, then it's nothing. I just don't want anyone to get hurt."

...Alright. He can do that. He's visited Black Space multiple times since he told the truth. It unnerves and saddens, it occasionally frightens, but it can't hurt him like it use to. There's no harm in checking.

Dream Mari sighed in relief. "Thank you. Please be careful. If...you don't mind, can I stay here for now?"

He didn't mind at all. Just be sure to give the Something space.

"Of course." she answered back with a smile.

Sunny nodded, turned, and reached his hand forward. He grabbed a door handle and swung open the nothing of White Space to reveal a black door. He needed no keys to enter this place, no entrances locked under the floors to peel open.

He just needed the resolve to fall.

* * *

**W E L C O M E**

**B A C K**

* * *

Sunny opened his eyes. He was on his back, looking up at the light bulb.

As it should be. He was quick to rise, getting to his feet. There was no reason to remain on the floor.

He wasn't here with the purpose of self punishment. He wasn't here to sink into the mire of depression.

At this exact moment, he felt of sound mind.

At this exact moment, he felt confident of his decision to tell the truth.

At this exact moment, he knew his friends understood, even if they didn't forgive.

At this exact moment, he knew that even if he didn't deserve forgiveness, he doesn't deserve torture either.

Black Space would yield to him, as he would persist through the trauma and overcome it.

What are the doors Dream Mari would want him to check?

He turned, watching Black Space shudder. Most of the doors drifted away, mixing with the void as only four doors remained.

These four then. Makes sense. Kel, Aubrey, Hero, Basil. Four doors for his four closest friends.

He opened the first door.

* * *

The Neighbor's Room.

The elongated hall that ended in someone being bludgeoned.

_He didn't deserve to be hurt for what he did. He's already hurt himself enough those four years._

Sunny took a deep breath before he began to walk down the extended room.

There at the end where his friends. Images of them, over-saturated and covered in compression artifacts. False portraits of Hero, Aubrey, Kel-

Kel?

He saw Kel sitting down with the duplicates. What looked like the real Kel, no less.

Focus. Deep breath. Black Space has made realistic depictions of his friends before.

Step forward and let the scenario play. Focus and Persist. This is a dream. The pain will be there, but it will be dulled.

"Sunny! Hey, I was wondering when you'd show up!"

_That's not how it's suppose to go._

He saw Kel, the real Kel, stand and wave at the broken copies of Sunny's friends before he turned to look at him.

He was unkempt. His eyes were bleary, his face stuck in a dopey smile. He has a small trail of drool coming from the corner of his mouth, and he looked like he was sweating.

Kel stepped forward and wrapped his arm around Sunny hard enough to shove him forward, almost falling onto the floor before Kel caught him and made him land on his knees. "Dude, come on! You've been away for eeeever! Come on, let's play a bit! We got cards, stuff for sports, plenty of places for hide and seek-!"

Sunny noticed how everything was stained yellow around him. That glow, that excess of emotion, that state of mania.

"Kel-"

"Sup!"

"What...Why are you here...?"

"I just came to play with my friends!"

"N-no, I mean... _here."_

"Hmmmm...Forgot! Not important. Someone else can remember. Now come on, stop looking all worried and scared and pick something to play!"

This was wrong. Kel might be a bit forgetful, might be a bit excitable, but this is too much.

"Kel, I-i'm worried-"

"Oh pff, Then go get Hero or something! You won't get any help from me. Hey Aubrey, want to play ball again? Your swing's KILLER!"

This isn't Kel. It can't be, can it? This is the same person who would put a halt to everything to make sure someone was okay, right?

Persist. "No, Kel, I need help from _you._ "

"Wha-Well you're just out of luck then! I can't help you, sorry bro!"

"Yes you can. You've helped me before."

"Oh yeah I _tried_ to help before, sorry about that. Won't happen again!"

"No! Don't apologize!"

Sunny didn't realize he had shouted that. He wasn't use to hearing his own voice with any volume behind it. It cracked when he spoke.

Kel paused for a second, then narrowed his eyes. "Aubrey put you up to this, didn't she? She wants you to ruin my vibes? Trying to make me feel guilty?"

Sunny shook his head. "No-"

"So why are you trying to make me feel bad? I get it, I shouldn't have tried to help, it made things worse! I learned my lesson, It won't happen again! I've _accepted_ that, and I'm happy about it-!"

Kel suddenly had the air pushed out of him. He looked down to see Sunny gripping him tightly.

"D-don't apologize for saving me."

"What? Sunny, I haven't saved anyone."

"Yes you did-! You saved me, You-you came to me that day! If you didn't-"

If he didn't...

He never would have left the house.

"...Dude, are you crying?" Kel asked with a nervous inflection as he gently pushed Sunny's head to try and gently remove him.

Sunny only tightened his grip.

If he didn't leave, he wouldn't have seen Aubrey or Hero. He wouldn't have seen Basil. He would have moved away without seeing them again.

"Hey come on man, this isn't funny."

What would have happened to him? He never would have told the truth. He'd live the rest of his life with that guilt. He'd...

He wasn't sure if he could live with that guilt any more than a few more years at most.

"Sunny? What's wrong?"

Sunny hiccuped, lifting his head to realize he'd been sobbing against Kel, getting his jersey wet.

He sniffled, and then he spoke quietly. "If you didn't see me that day...I wouldn't be alive."

"...What?"

"I-i was...I was spiraling somewhere dark by myself. I was...I don't know how much longer I would-"

He suddenly felt Kel's arms wrap tightly around him. "Stop it. Don't say it."

"But-"

"No buts! You're alive and you're staying alive, even if it means I gotta walk for days to go knock on your new door to make sure!"

Sunny gently gripped his jersey and resumed crying. Kel stopped trying to push him away, instead gently petting his head. "Go ahead, it's alright...I've got other jerseys."

SAD > HAPPY

* * *

Kel walked behind Sunny as he lead them back to Black Space. The room had no additional tricks, no cruel surprises, no head trauma. It was a case of walking back.

"So this...entire thing is your dream?"

Sunny nodded.

"From the floating alien camp site to the big buff rock man Pluto?"

He nodded again.

"Cause that part of the dream is awesome and I'm jealous. But I'm also guessing all of _this_ is also your dream?"

Sunny paused this time, then nodded again.

"I think you have some issues man."

Sunny just narrowed his eyes at Kel before slowly nodding.

"Okay I was trying to be funny but that wasn't great, sorry."

Sunny rolled his eyes and smiled a tad, making Kel smile back in return.

They had returned through the black door that lead them there. Sunny was distraught to find Black Space had re-populated its doors. Of course it did. He lost his confidence. He was afraid for the rest of his friends.

"So...Hero and Aubrey are probably in one of these other doors, right? We'll find them. We have the buddy system on our side now, as long as we stick together we'll be alright!"

Sunny smiled a bit as he walked forward and took Kel's hand. Kel raised his fist confidently with his other free hand.

The doors were no longer making things easy, so they had to check until they found the right one. There were a few Sunny had hoped to avoid, but he knew he and Kel would find their friends.

They both stepped forward and opened the first door.

A swathe of spiders promptly skittered out of the door and around the two of them. Sunny tensed and shivered, gritting his teeth. Kel gasped, but after a second of shock shook off his legs and flicked a spider from Sunny's side.

"...I _really_ hope for Hero's sake he's not in this one."


	24. Restrained

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's okay now, Aubrey

As Sunny and Kel wandered Black Space, they kept a firm grip on each other's hands. They wouldn't let themselves be split up.

Sunny had given Kel two warning about this place.

One: Some things will hurt. It won't hurt much, but it will be a dull ache.

Two: Some things will seem disturbing or violent. When Sunny asked Kel to close his eyes, he asked he please do so.

In truth, Sunny was hoping these instructions would protect Kel. Black Space was of his mind, not Kel's. He had hoped that by giving Kel an expectation of some, but minor pain, that it would lessen whatever he might experience.

This became necessary when they walked into a dark forest filled with watermelons.

"...Okay am I suppose to be feeling hungry?" Kel asked as he passed by some of the watermelons under the trees and foliage.

Sunny shrugged. "It's...food. So. Maybe."

"Alright good cause now I really want watermelon. I'm not about to chow down here, this place is messed up and I don't trust like that."

Sunny nodded before giving him a heads up. "It's going to get dark. Hold on."

He could feel Kel's grip tightened as the forest grew dark. When it lit up again, the trees were gone, all that was left was the bright green glow of a field of watermelons.

"Kel. Close your eyes."

"Huh? Uh, Okay. I trust you on this one, just warn me if we go up or down any hills." He said this before he shut his eyes.

Sunny walked a little slower for Kel as he touched a watermelon, watching it pop and watching the innards and seeds stain the ground.

"What was that?"

"Eyes closed."

Kel gulped and followed still. Sunny noticed he flinched as he popped another watermelon.

He popped another.

He popped another.

He popped another.

Kel's grasp suddenly went limp behind him.

Sunny winced and took a moment to breathe. He knew what had just happened. Calm down. Just keep a firm grip and walk.

There was no resistance as he walked, like he was dragging a limp doll behind him. Far too light to be Kel.

Or, too light to be _all of_ Kel. It was just a piece of him. An arm removed from the mess that was the rest of his body, making a dragging sound over the black floor.

Don't turn and look.

* * *

Sunny opened the black door back to the center, finding Kel lying down on the blanket with his eyes still closed. He was fine, whole, unharmed. His grip was tight like he was still holding onto Sunny's hand.

Sunny let go of whatever he was holding. Maybe it was nothing now. He heard nothing drop.

"Sunny?" He clearly noticed when Sunny let go, promptly sitting up.

"I'm here." Sunny spoke up quickly as to not let him worry. "Open your eyes."

Kel opened his eyes and looked around, putting a hand to his head. "When did we come back?"

"...I don't know." A lie. "No one was in that room...Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm alright! Just a small headache."

Sunny approached and re-took his friend's hand. He had a small smile, one of relief. He wasn't sure if Kel was as unharmed as he was from his advice or just because this isn't his mind, but he was thankful he didn't experience what the room did to him.

* * *

This room was new.

It was Sunny's house. His old house back in Faraway. A few things were in disarray, like someone ran through without much care for knocking things over, but it wasn't ransacked.

Whatever scenarios this room had for him, he had to overcome. He was more worried for-

Sunny felt Kel's free hand push on his shoulder, forcing him to turn. "Kel?"

"S-sunny, turn around and walk out the door. Don't look behind you."

He raised a brow. Kel seemed very uncomfortable, his eyes pinned. "Does it have one eye?"

"What-No? No, it's-Just keep walking forward. Please."

It wasn't Something then. Sunny followed Kel's motions, gently walking forward toward the door. He trusted Kel. Whatever it was he didn't want Sunny to see, he wouldn't look.

Kel wouldn't mention the sight of Mari hanging from the tree through the screen door to the backyard. Sunny left without seeing it again.

* * *

Outside was broken.

The sky should have been clear, partly cloudy, but it was stained red like blood thrown on a canvas. Parts of it flickered like a shattered television. The trees were a mix of greens and blacks and grays, some flickering between the two.

Sunny turned to face the sidewalk. Kel did the same shortly after. Sunny was the first to see a fake Kel shattered and leaking on the sidewalk like a broken vase. Kel was the second.

He heard Kel gasp and then gag. Sunny was about to tell him to keep his eyes shut before he saw Kel had already done so.

"Kel, If-"

"N-no! Hold-" He stopped talking and gulped. He was trying to not get sick. "Hold on, Just. Just give me a second."

"Deep breathes." Sunny advised as he saw Kel slow his breathing. He opened his eyes slowly, and while he recoiled at the sight, he shuddered and focused. "Let's look for our friends and leave." He stated with conviction. He clearly did not like this room, but he'd put up with it for his friends sake.

They gave the broken body a wide berth, only to see there were more in its wake. Some were unrecognizable, but others were clearly neighbors from Faraway. A broken Basil was passed by, Sunny thankful that Kel seemed to understand it wasn't the real one.

There. A sound beyond the broken loop of the wind blowing. Shattered glass and pouring liquid. One of the false bodies just fell.

It was within the park. A good dozen of the bodies were broken, bodies Sunny and Kel identified as the hooligans Aubrey was hanging out with. One was broken in the middle, showing these fakes to be faceless.

And in the center was a hateful red glare.

Kel and Sunny both watched as one Aubrey shattered the head of another, a bat slamming it into fine pieces that rolled in the grass and stained the soil, her pink hair being picked up by the wind.

The one that was still standing turned to face the others.

"Aubrey." Sunny spoke then. Kel wasn't sure if he was trying to talk to Aubrey or trying to let him know this was the Real Aubrey.

Regardless, she turned to face the two of them. Her expression was one that could be mistaken as calm if it weren't for something behind her eyes. She was stained red, from both the blood of the bodies and the light of her emotions.

Kel quietly spoke up then. "Aubrey...?"

"Shut up."

Sunny took a step back and held up his hands in surrender. Kel did not.

"Aubrey, what in the world is this?!"

"Oh, NOW you're willing to talk. It only took smashing your face in a half dozen times."

"We only just got here, These aren't real! What's wrong?"

"What's wrong!? _What's wrong?!?_ Don't act like you don't know!"

"I-i don't! Aubrey-"

"BULL! SHIT!" Aubrey's face immediately contorted into one of fury as she threw her bat at Kel. He was fast enough to dodge out of the way, causing it to clatter on the road behind them, but not fast enough to notice Aubrey was sprinting at him full tilt, diving into him and pushing him into the ground.

Kel brought his arms up to shield his face before Aubrey's fists connected, slamming into Kel as he tried to protect himself.

"MARI'S DEAD! MARI DIED AND NO ONE CARES! NO ONE EVER CARED!"

"That's-! Not-! True! We-! All-! Cared-!" Kel spoke between getting hit, gritting his teeth as his arms ached.

Aubrey roared at Kel's statement and put her fists together to bring them down on Kel. He blocked it with his arms, but he still shouted in pain. He was bruised and beaten, refusing to fight back.

Aubrey halted her assault, looking up at Sunny. "Oh of COURSE You bring the knife nut with you!" Kel seemed confused until he looked up, seeing Sunny holding a swiss army knife with the blade folded out. How long has he had that? In his other hand was Aubrey's baseball bat held over his shoulder. Aubrey was disarmed and heavily persuaded to stop.

She got up off of Kel and growled at Sunny. Kel got up and nursed his arms, bruises growing on them from the beating.

"Aubrey...We all cared. All of us."

"No you didn't, Kel. You just pretended like everything was okay. You just went right back to school with that big stupid smile on your face."

"I...Yes, I did go back to school quickly, but it was so I could distract myself! I couldn't-"

"Oh shut it-"

"LET ME TALK, AUBREY!"

Sunny was a bit stunned at that. He rarely heard Kel raise his voice for anything other than a cheer or shout. Hearing him snap like that startled him. It startled Aubrey as well, who went a little wide eyed.

Kel continued. "I couldn't stand to be at home! I couldn't help Hero, and I couldn't...Look at Sunny's old house without feeling like I was going to choke! I had to get away from it. You weren't the only one who had to cope."

Aubrey narrowed her eyes. "Hero may have been the sole person who actually cared, and you didn't help him either."

"Oh I tried. He screamed and hit me in response."

"He wouldn't-"

"He _did._ I hold nothing against him for it, but that doesn't change the fact that he did do it. I couldn't stay home _because_ I cared. Because it hurt me to."

Aubrey blinked a few times. "So why didn't you try and help me?"

Kel sighed. "Because I didn't think I could. I couldn't reach Sunny for years, and I got hurt when I tried to help Hero. I thought...I'd make everything worse if I tried to help you. I was wrong! I should've tried to be there for you then. But I can be here for you now."

"What do you-Back off!"

Aubrey took a step back as she saw Kel approaching her, arms extended. "The fuck do you think you're doing?!"

"I'm going to prove to you that I care and get you out of here."

"Stay the hell away from me or I'll break your arms!"

"Oh no you won't, you won't have the chance when I give you-!"

Aubrey tried to backpedal but failed as Kel promptly wrapped his arms around her tightly, lifting her up off the ground.

"-A BIIIIIG HUG!"

"KEL PUT ME DOWN YOU FUCKING BEANSTALK!"

Kel started to laugh. This reminded him of when they were younger, of how annoyed she'd get with him over such small things. But he also still cared for her despite those shenanigans. He never wanted to make her cry.

"Put me-! Down! I swear I. I'll-!" Her struggling was beginning to slow. She heard the sound of wood hitting pavement, seeing Sunny dropped her bat and pocketed his knife to promptly join in on this big hug. "Not you too!"

"Me too."

"Would I really let you beat me up just so I could give you a bro hug if I didn't care?"

Aubrey struggled weakly a moment longer. Then she stopped. Then she sobbed.

Kel set her down then, only to have her drop on her knees. Both Kel and Sunny crouched with her to help her, only to find her clinging to the two of them and crying.

"We'll be here this time. For you." Sunny quietly spoke as he let Aubrey hug him with one arm.

"Yeah! We're friends! We're suppose to be there for each other!" Kel spoke with a smile as Aubrey hugged him with her other arm.

She croaked through her tears. "You swear this time...?"

"Well duh. I'm not about to let you run off and make a second band of punks!" Kel spoke with a smile.

Aubrey promptly punched him in the face.

HAPPY > ANGRY

* * *

The walk back to the center of Black Space was leisurely, bizarrely enough. Mainly because Kel had to gently nurse his bruises, including the big new one on his cheek.

"I'm really sorry about those." Aubrey quietly spoke. She had finished crying, but she still felt a little meek compared to how she usually was.

"Aahh, It's alright! I've hurt myself worse before."

"You deserve the one on your face."

"That's fair." Kel spoke with a little smile despite his swollen cheek. Aubrey cracked a little smirk at him. Sunny couldn't help but chuckle a little, thinking he looked almost like a squirrel hiding something in his mouth.

"Sunny, I wanted to ask something." Aubrey spoke, making him turn to face her. He didn't speak, he just tilted his head.

"So this is all based on your dreams, right? And this Black Space thing is your nightmares?"

"Kind of." Sunny spoke quietly. Black Space was more complicated than that, but that's close enough.

"So me having the nails in my bat is based on what you remember? Cause I removed these months ago."

"Kind of. Oh, Good for you."

"Okay second question then: Where did you get a swiss army knife?"

He raised a brow as he got the folded tool out of his pocket. "I got this recently."

"Okay, why?"

"I like it."

"What-No, I mean why do you always seem to have a knife? You had a steak knife a year ago, and your weird look alike Omori has one too, and now you've got a _new_ one? What's with you and knives?"

Kel and Aubrey saw how Sunny seemed to almost blush, looking away from them. "I just...like them." Was he embarrassed? Neither of them were entirely sure, they hadn't seen a flustered Sunny in years.

"Why do you like knives so much?"

"...I just think they're neat." Oh he was totally embarrassed.

"Oh my god." Aubrey just covered her face and snickered. Kel chuckled a bit as well, watching Sunny's face grow more red as he tried to turn away from them more.

Kel spoke up then. "Hey, Knives can be cool! He has a _point_!"

"Kel." Sunny said just the one word.

"Oh come on, take the _edge_ off-"

"Stop."

"Okay."


	25. Collected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's okay, Hero.

One: Some things will hurt. It won't hurt much, but it will be a dull ache.

Two: Some things will seem disturbing or violent. When Sunny asked them to close his eyes, he asked they please do so.

It was the same two warning Sunny gave Kel, now repeated to Aubrey. She helpfully informed him she'll be more violent than whatever this place throws at her. Given the state they found her in, he honestly believed her.

The hunt was on for Hero and Basil. To that end, exploring was necessary. Sunny hadn't regained the composure he entered with, so it was left to chance to find where they needed to go. Kel held Sunny's hand, who held Aubrey's hand, all to prevent them from getting separated within Black Space.

Sunny couldn't help but idly think of the crush he had on Aubrey years ago. He didn't feel the same way now. Sure, he still liked her, but four years of self destructive behavior on both sides kind of makes such things secondary. They were both such different people now.

"Hey, this one doesn't look too bad!" Kel spoke as he opened the next door.

Sunny could see the long stretch in front of them, some over extended locker room. He didn't recall if it was based on the school he use to go to or if it was based on a show he had seen. What stuck out instead was Aubrey, the Dream Aubrey, standing a short ways in.

And the other one past her.

And the others past her.

"Hi~!" The closest Aubrey spoke.

Sunny promptly used his foot to slam the door shut. The sudden movement and loud noise making Kel and the Real Aubrey flinch back.

"Sunny, what was that!? Like yeah the duplicates of young me were kind of freaky, but that's not the creepiest thing I've seen here, we could've checked that one!"

Sunny shook his head and spoke one word in a quiet hiss. " _Nightmare._ "

Kel and Aubrey looked at each other. They decided to not push him on it.

* * *

"I have to check this one alone."

"Sunny, no. I understand you don't want us seeing some of the freaky shit down here, but I'm not going to let us get separated."

"Yeah! Listen, if I can see Aubrey going full slasher film on us, I can see whatever's in here!"

Sunny shook his head. "No, please. Let me-"

"Okay, we're going together-!" Aubrey spoke declaratively before yanking Sunny into the room. Kel would've been yanked too if he didn't pick up his pace to keep up.

"N-no no no wait-!" Sunny was telling them to stop as they stepped on the hardwood floor, the wooden platforms above a black sea. A tree house was vaguely visible from the top of the structure, on top of a dozen ladders.

Sunny quickly realized they wouldn't listen, having to instead mentally brace himself as they ascended. "Close your eyes."

"I'd love to but I can't do that climbing a ladder, Sunny." Aubrey spoke, finishing her climb and stepping up. And then he saw her lock up. Oh no. Sunny was quick to scramble up the rest of the way to shout. "I-it's not real! That's not him!"

"What's not him-?" He heard Kel ask before he climbed the rest of the way up, seeing it as well.

Seeing Basil within the elevator.

Aubrey winced her eyes shut shortly after she saw the sight. Sunny's instruction made sense, and his clarification eased the immediate nausea she felt. She was lucky enough to not get a good view of the body.

Kel wasn't so lucky.

Kel had seen plenty in the way of fictional violence. He watched horror flicks and played games his parents told him not to. He found Aubrey in a room filled with shattered copies of himself and his neighbors, bright red liquid oozing out of their bodies.

Nothing compared to seeing an actual body.

Seeing Basil's corpse sitting there, unmoving, eyes unfocused and empty. Seeing the brown stains on the wood and elevator doors, realizing it was blood long since spilled and dry. Seeing the absolute lack of color in his skin, the bloated flesh on the bottom of his face as the blood pooled there over time.

* * *

Kel gently opened his eyes. He was on the lowest level of the room they were just in, below the tree house. Below the body. Aubrey and Sunny were both sat around him, Sunny resting Kel's head on his leg.

He was quick to raise up. "Wh...What happened?"

"You fainted." Sunny spoke quietly.

"You almost fell backwards off the ladder. Sunny caught you." Aubrey said next.

"Oh." Kel was quiet. Still. He didn't really think he'd ever be able to shake that image out of his head.

It was after a moment that he spoke again. "Sunny...Thanks for catching me. And for trying to warn us."

He nodded. "I'm sorry-"

"It's alright man! You tried to tell us not to, it's our fault." Kel perked up a bit. He was certain he'd have nightmares about that body, but they didn't need to know that.

Aubrey sighed and started to get up. "Sunny's already checked the room out. Hero's not here. Neither is the real Basil. We have to keep looking."

"Course." Kel rolled his eyes as he slowly got up. "I think we both agree that Sunny has final say on whether we go into certain rooms or not now."

"Oh absolutely."

* * *

Two more rooms. Both thankfully uneventful. One of static and pain that made their bodies ache. One of white scribbled and voices that deeply unnerved Aubrey, but otherwise didn't cause any harm.

It was the third door that struck true.

Sunny didn't know what to expect. Maybe finding him in the woods with the raft. Maybe finding him asleep in the room filled with beds and ringing phones.

He was not expecting to see Hero immediately visible from the black door.

This wasn't his room, or any room he recognized from Headspace. This was Kel and Hero's room. And Hero was in his bed. And Mari was floating just beside him.

Mari wasn't down here, though. Something else was.

Hero's bed, alongside his entire half of the room, was stained a deep blue of Misery.

Kel was the first person to enter the room, suddenly and without warning. He released Sunny's hand to run inside. "Hero-!"

Kel froze in his tracks. Sunny could see it too. A single eye poking out between the space between Hero's unkempt hair and his sheets. It was a look of absolute disdain. It looked nothing like Hero.

There was a pause before Kel shook his head and continued to get closer. "Hero, you can't stay in here forever. Come on, let's go outside."

Hero blinked before slowly lifting up the tiniest amount. "Kel-" His voice was dead, a croak of exhaustion. "Please leave me alone." He lowered back down, just in time for the floating corpse to speak. "Hero...I love you." Oh. It was Something. It was _his_ Something. So why was it interested in Hero?

Because he felt guilty about her death too.

Kel sighed and turned towards Sunny and Aubrey. "Hey guys? Hero might try to hit me. Please don't stop him, alright?"

"What?! No, that's fucking stupid! We're not going to let him hurt you! You're still beat up from when I hurt you!" Aubrey protested loudly.

"Aubrey, this...happened before. Exactly like this, minus...minus Mari, of course. Just let me try this." He turned back to face Hero. "Hero, please. You've barely left your room in a month. Everyone's really worried about you. _I'm_ worried about you!"

Hero spoke without lifting himself this time. "Kel...I'm fine. I just need some time alone."

"You've been alone for weeks! You've barely eaten! You're not fine, Hero."

"Kel, please leave." The slightest tone of frustration in his voice.

"Hero, please. I...I miss her too."

Hero sat up then, looking at Kel. Sitting up like this, Sunny and Aubrey could see his expression. The deep rings under his eyes, the unfocused glare. He even seemed more gaunt.

Kel continued. "I know it's hard, I know it hurts, but you can't just...hide away like this. It's not healthy. It's...it's not what she would want."

There was a pause, Kel wincing as if preparing for something. Hero...lowered back into the bed, turning to face the other way. "I'm done talking."

Kel blinked. "...That didn't work?"

Aubrey promptly stepped forward, pushing Kel out of the way rather roughly. "Aubrey? What-?" "Get the fuck up." " _Aubrey!_ "

Hero turned his head to glare at her this time. "Go away."

"No. I'm not leaving unless you're leaving with us. Now get up."

" _No._ "

"Get the _fuck_ up before I yank you out of that bed myself!"

"You can't." Hero was sitting up now, looking at her with disdain. "You won't."

"Oh, Oh I won't? Oh I guess I won't! I guess I'll do this instead!" Aubrey spoke before she promptly lifted her bat and brought it down. Not onto Hero, but onto the Mari floating beside him.

Kel and Sunny watched as the floating corpse slammed into the floor. There was no hard impact, rather the sound of hair hitting solid flooring as the corpse vanished, replaced by a ball of hair with a single eye ball.

Kel looked up in time to see Hero very quickly rising out of the bed to grab Aubrey, gripping her hand tight enough to make her drop her bat. It clattered on the floor as he saw Hero glaring down at her. He wasn't sure what was worse: What was happening, or the fact that Hero didn't even look angry. He looked dead.

"Bring her back."

"Oh like we could fucking do that! She never _was_ back! And! I got you out of your bed! Eat shit!" She promptly shouted as he slammed her wrist into the nearby wall, a few medals clattering down onto the floor.

Aubrey continued. "Oh look at you, big man throwing a girl around because he can't be allowed to mope. Grow up! You're older than any of us! Stop acting like a child!" Hero looked about ready to throw a punch, but Kel reached forward and gripped his free hand to prevent that, restraining him. This didn't stop him from gripping Aubrey's wrist tighter, causing her to wince.

"What would Mari think of you doing this?" Hero suddenly loosened his grip. She continued. "If you weren't being a baby, I'd say something inspirational. Oh, Mari wouldn't want you to live like this without her, something like that. But you're hurting your friends and your brother just cause you're not being allowed to act dead all day! Mari would be **disappointed** in you!"

Hero didn't move for a moment. And then he let go of Aubrey and dropped. He dropped into a sit and sat with a lost expression. Aubrey nursed her wrist, idly noting the hellish grip Hero had on her.

They watched as realization dawned on Hero. That he really did just give up so quickly on everyone and everything. That he really did just hurt one of his close friends, and almost hurt his brother again.

It didn't matter if Mari was disappointed in him. He was disappointed in himself.

"I-i'm..." Hero choked out as tears gathered in his eyes. "I'm sorry-"

"Save it." Aubrey cut him off. "If you need to apologize, do it to Kel, then get up and come with us. Basil's still missing."

Hero just quietly nodded and wept on the floor. Kel sat next to him, gently patting his shoulder and letting him cry.

ANGRY > SAD

* * *

They had yet to leave the room.

Hero and Kel sat on Hero's bed, Hero appreciating the company. Aubrey leaned against the wall as she explained some of what Sunny told her about this place. About Headspace, about Black Space.

Sunny was preoccupied. Something didn't just vanish when Aubrey hit it. It returned to its normal state, floating gently near Sunny as he sat on the floor and 'played' with its hair. It hurt, but he would deal with it. He wanted to ensure it didn't harm any of his friends.

"Aubrey...I know you said to save it, but I'm really sorry. About-"

"Yeah yeah, about hurting my wrist, you don't need to apologize. Like I said, this place fucks with your head. You weren't exactly in the right state of mind."

"Because this place is all of Sunny's nightmares?" Again, over-simplifying.

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Okay...And what's that?" He asked, pointing towards Something. "It looked like Mari for a while, but I've seen it before when it was all hairy like that."

Sunny finally spoke up then. "This is Something."

"...something...black?"

"No. That is it's name. Something."

Hero tilted his head, but didn't press him on that part. "So...what is Something then?"

What is Something? Sunny occasionally thought he knew, but in reality he didn't. He'd occasionally think he'd understand, only for it to act in such a way to make him doubt himself.

"...I don't know." Sunny spoke. "But it's been here since-" He felt the hair of it tighten around his hands, threatening to cut the circulation to his fingers. "...Since I killed Mari."

Aubrey hissed slightly. Kel just looked concerned. Hero spoke with a frown. "Sunny...You don't have to say that."

"I do." He watched as its grip grew loose on his hands. It liked when he was honest. "It was an accident, but I still did it."

Hero sighed then. "So it's related to that then...Maybe that's why it liked me so much."

"Maybe."

Sunny watched as Hero got up from the bed and sat down across from Sunny. He didn't know what was happening at first until Hero suddenly reached out and took Sunny's hands. Rather, he let Something tangle with him as well.

"H-hero, wait-"

"Oh." He quietly spoke, a few tears escaping his eyes. He looked up at Something, it's sole eye looking at Hero now. "I'm okay. Don't worry." He spoke preemptively, noticing Kel seemed ready to try and assist. "It doesn't...hurt. I'm not in any pain. It's just...Heavy."

Heavy. That's a way to word it. The pit Sunny felt in his gut. The guilt. He could only wonder how it felt to Hero. He ended up being faultless, after all. He wasn't negligent, he wasn't unfaithful. Mari's death had nothing to do with him.

Except that didn't erase four years of guilt. Four years of nights spent awake wondering 'What could I have done differently?' Almost a fifth of his life spent in uncertain misery.

"Sunny." Hero spoke quietly. "You said Something's been with you since the day Mari died, right?"

"Yes." He spoke bluntly.

Hero continued. "So you've felt like this...since then?"

"Every day."

Hero couldn't help but chuckle. The sort of laugh when everything you thought you knew was wrong. Sunny had spent every day since the accident feeling like this. Feeling a guilt far stronger than Hero knew could exist. A heavy culpability that threatened to drown him if he wasn't being careful.

"Sunny...I think I need to say something to you. While we're both here like this."

Sunny raised a brow. He couldn't help but notice how...casual he seemed, feeling this way. He had no doubt he wasn't in pain. He was just so use to being in pain.

"When you told us what happened...I didn't forgive you. Even when we started talking again, I never once said so. I was...so angry at what you had done. I had every reason to be, I still am to an extent! But I shouldn't have tried to avoid you like I did. I shouldn't have pretended we weren't friends anymore."

"Hero? What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, Sunny, that I forgive you."


	26. Tranquil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything will be Okay.

Sunny could not have ever imagined a situation this surreal in his entire life.

Here he was, walking through Black Space, the middens of his mind, the place dead memories are left to rot, with his friends by his side. His real life friends, not some dream copies, not figments of his imagination.

And here he was, walking with Something trailing behind him and following him...and his friends were fine with that. They didn't fully know what it was, maybe Hero knew? But a quick mention of it liking to follow him and they just. Accepted it?

This was the absolute strangest thing he could never have imagined. And yet, here he was. Here they were. Here it was.

Here was the door.

A red spotlight illuminated the black door, a red stain on an otherwise pristine canvas of black.

"He's here."

They stood in front of the door. Even if Sunny was ready to proceed, he wasn't going to without everyone else.

"Well...This seems final." Hero sheepishly admitted. That's because it was. Sunny knew that entering this door meant being ejected from Headspace when he reached the end. It always was. In times without a knife or the will to use it, this was how to leave Black Space.

The fact that is appeared now, after he had found his friends, told him Basil was here. Of course he was. This is where he was always saved in the end.

* * *

His friends shivered as they walked. It was awfully cold, snow covering the ground that crunched underfoot. The ascent to the church always felt much too long, like hesitating before opening a door, like putting off something urgent.

Kel felt like he was waiting in his bed, knowing he had to get up for class.

Aubrey felt like she was waiting outside the door to her house, knowing she'd have to walk past the trash littered room.

Hero felt like he was procrastinating on a very important assignment.

Sunny felt like he was holding a knife to his neck, just waiting to wake up.

Sunny opened the door to the church, walking straight past the stand-ins for people at this false service, up the flight of stairs to the reddened window. Basil wasn't suspended here by the black vines of his Something, so that was...good. He thought.

Kel was beginning to ask where to go from here when he saw Sunny step forward through the blood stained glass. Everyone waited before proceeding, allowing the Something to float on by first before they stepped up through the glass.

* * *

This room...This place of red hands and lost fingers. This is where Omori made his decision to end their life.

This is where Sunny considered ending his own life.

Sunny thought of himself dying. Of falling. Of stabbing himself. These thoughts always crossed his mind when he entered this place. He would never follow through with such thoughts. They were invasive, memories of a dark time. He'd dismiss them and turn his mind elsewhere. He wanted to live now.

...Sunny thought of Basil dying.

Being ripped apart by red hands.

Being quartered.

Being restrained and stabbed and gutted.

Being bled out.

Being crushed.

Sunny became Afraid.

The others were still in the midst of trying to grasp the broken red surroundings when they saw Sunny suddenly sprint ahead. It only took a second before they began to ran to him, Kel catching up with him near instantly, the rest following suit. They were there with him as he ran ahead. They would face whatever it was together.

And then they arrived.

A massive flight of stairs, surrounded by giant stained hands. The epicenter of Black Space.

And at its peak, seated on the throne of cupped hands:

Basil and Omori, sitting side by side. Awaiting the arrival of their friends.

* * *

...

* * *

"No." Basil spoke softly as he simply dropped his shears, clattering on the floor.

"Pick it up, Basil. If you don't kill me, then I'll kill you."

"Then kill me."

Omori took a step forward and placed the knife to Basil's chest. He just smiled sadly, looking at the knife. He had the memories of his dream selves. He recalled the myriad ways he met his end here. He would do it again, if he must.

But Omori did not push the blade forward. He hesitated.

Basil gently placed his hand on the knife, keeping it held up. "I'll die again for you."

"No you won't. You'll die for Sunny."

"And you're part of him. So I'll die for you too."

Omori grit his teeth, a faint red glow surrounding him. He was becoming angry. "You won't wake up! You'll die in reality too!"

"That's okay."

"NO IT'S NOT!" Omori shouted before he pulled the knife away from Basil, pelting it at the floor in defeat. He then began to cry, the red shifting to blue. "You can't die! You can't, I can't lose someone again!" He promptly fell to his knees, speaking through sobs. "Why couldn't you just kill me?"

There was a pause, of Omori gently crying on the floor as Basil lowered himself and gently hugged him. "I couldn't bear to lose Sunny. Not even a part of him. You're important to me too. You've always been important to me."

"You're cruel. Stop lying."

"I'm not lying."

"Yes you are! You have to hate me! I _killed_ you! I killed you for such selfish reasons!"

"I don't. I don't hate you. I never did hate you."

"... _Why_? How can you not hate me?"

"Basil...The one that lived here. When we solved the puzzle, when Black Space opened, every version of him gave me their memories. I think...we're the same now. I remember every death you dealt to us...but I also know the reason why. You were just trying to protect Sunny. And...protect me."

"I...No. I killed you. I didn't protect you."

"Yes you did. You wiped away the memories of the pain. You brought me out of this place without recalling any death. My own, or Mari's."

"...I was cruel. I could have just let the truth come out."

"You just did what you thought was right. You did what you thought would keep Sunny safe. Maybe you could have done something different, but what's past is past, it doesn't matter anymore. The truth is out! I'm free! You're free. You don't have to kill anyone anymore. You don't have to hide anything anymore."

Omori's voice caught in his throat. He choked out a sob and shook in Basil's grasp. "It _hurts._ "

"...It does hurt. It hurts so much. But we'll live despite the pain. We'll overcome it together."

All composure was lost then. Omori loudly sobbed, all attempts for words failing him as he hugged Basil and wept.

Omori succumbed to the weight of his emotions.

Omori succumbed to the embrace of Basil.

Omori succumbed.

* * *

...

* * *

" _Basil!_ "

Kel, Aubrey, and Hero all shouted his name at the same time, rushing up the stairs to join him at the top.

Basil sat with Omori within the throne. His skin was pink, his hair blonde. He was colored to Reality's specifications. A black crown of thorns adorned his head, but a single pink flower bloomed on it regardless.

"You're alright! Did anything happen? Are you hurt?" Kel quickly looked over his friend, Basil laughing a bit at his worry. "I'm fine! Omori kept me safe until you guys arrived. He brought me here, which he said is apparently one of the less scary rooms here? It's also apparently the safest room here."

"I mean, nothing's jumping out or anything so...I guess?"

Aubrey spoke next. "Did...you lose any grip on your emotions?" Basil lifted a brow. "Uh...No, I don't think so?" "Oh, thank christ. This place fucked with our heads pretty bad, I was worried it did the same to you...Uh, speaking of christ, what's with the thorn crown thing?"

"Uh...How do I explain. H-how about Sunny helps me explain?"

"He's here!" Hero announced as he rose the stairs with Sunny, hanging back to let him catch up on his own pace. Hero took a moment to catch his breath at the top of the stairs. It was a long run. "Is, Huff, are you alright Basil? No injuries?" "None! What about you guys?"

Aubrey awkwardly shuffled. "I kind of beat the shit out of Kel a little bit." Kel just waved a hand blew a raspberry. "Aaahh it's fine! Just give me a day, I'll be right as rain!"

"Aubrey, please don't hurt Kel anymore." "I'm not making a promise I can't keep."

Basil then turned his attention towards Sunny. It was a moment of the two looking at one another before Basil got up, walking over to Sunny who ran to meet him halfway. They hugged one another, both deeply worried about the safety of the other. Basil was unharmed. Sunny was unharmed. They were both okay. They were both safe.

No one else wanted to interrupt. They clearly missed each other greatly. That and it was frankly adorable. Kel turned to Omori and quietly spoke. "Thanks for keeping Basil safe."

Omori nodded his head. Aubrey turned to face him. "...Why is Omori glowing yellow?" Omori had a small smile on his face.

"I mean, I think he's just happy. Look at him, he's _beaming!_ "

"Kel I swear if Basil didn't just ask me to not hurt you-"

Sunny and Basil had finished their embrace, both wiping tears from their eyes and returning to the group with hands held. It was clear Basil noticed another presence: Something was still gently following Sunny. Of course, Basil had his Something currently biting his own head. "Uh, Aubrey? Did Sunny tell you what this is?" He asked, pointing at Sunny's Something.

"He told me it's called Something, it sucks, and it follows him."

"W-well...This is my Something." He specified, pointing towards the crown of thorns on his head. A single eye opened on it then, blinking as it looked at Aubrey.

"Ooohhkay...That's incredibly creepy and very deeply unfortunate."

"Yeah...But I'm sort of stuck with it. I'm handling it though." He gently grabbed and rearranged the crown. The fact that he was able to do so without making himself bleed was a positive sign for Basil. Right now, it was manageable.

"I don't mean to ruin this reunion, but uh...How do we leave Black Space?" Hero asked, looking around for some kind of door.

"You don't." Omori spoke bluntly, standing from his throne of hands. "But that's okay. I can wake you all up."

"You can? Wait...Could you have done that earlier?" Hero swore if they went through that hell for no reason...

"Maybe. Didn't know what would happen if you were separated. Wanted to be safe."

"Oh...Oh no, I don't want to think about being stuck asleep in this place." Aubrey shuddered at the thought.

"Wouldn't that just be a coma?" Kel idly asked.

"We can wake up safely here-" Sunny spoke, pointing down at the floor. "-In this room. I've done it before."

"Okay, so how?"

Omori spoke quietly. "Close your eyes."

Basil suddenly seemed a little giddy. "Ohhh is this like Wizard of Oz?"

Sunny tried his absolute best to keep a blank expression. "...Kind of."

Sunny and Omori watched as everyone else shut their eyes. He didn't need to. He knew exactly what was about to happen.

Omori pulled out his knife, turning it around in his palm. With a small smile, he said a quick goodbye.

"See you all tomorrow."

* * *

**STAB**

**STAB WHO?**

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boy I hope I wrote this chapter well, sort of put up some massive expectations...


	27. Awake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Good Morning, Everyone!

See you all tomorrow.

Basil opened his eyes.

He was back in his room. His real room. His real house. Sunlight peaked through the window. His flowers bloomed around him.

He gently felt his head. The ring of thorns were gone. His head still felt the tiniest itchy from where the thorns poked him all night.

He still remembered his time within Headspace. The many lives ended in the attempt to protect Sunny. They were...fuzzier, now that he was awake, but he still recalled them.

He really did go through a lot for Sunny's sake. He really hoped Sunny returned the favor someday!

He chuckled to himself. He jests.

He was partially out of bed when he heard his bedroom door knocking. "I'm decent, come in."

Aubrey opened the door. For a split second he forgot he was letting Aubrey live in his house. That dream really did a number on him, huh? Felt way longer than just one night.

Aubrey rubbed one of her eyes and yawned before asking. "Just confirming, you saw all that sh-crap last night too, right? With the Black Space and the hair ball following Sunny?"

"Yes. Yes I did."

"Alright cool. I want to call Sunny and ask what the fresh...heck all of that was. I need some of that contextualized, but I think you should call him first."

"I will after breakfast. Thank you for not swearing."

"It's your house man. Oh one last thing, don't you start going all messiah complex on me cause you had a thorn crown on last night."

Basil just chuckled at that. Considering Aubrey's sly smile, she found it funny too.

* * *

It was an awkward morning for Kel and Hero.

Neither could reasonably talk about what they had dreamt while eating breakfast with their family. It's that wonderful mix of too strange and too personal to bring up with anyone else. So they both silently ate breakfast until they could finally excuse themselves to leave the house and talk.

They went to their old hang out spot. Some of Aubrey's hooligans were hanging out there, but they were doing their own stupid things, just having fun and leaving the brothers alone as they sat at the end of the dock.

It was after a moment of silence that Hero spoke first. "I'm sorry."

"Uh...Okay, apology accepted? What are you sorry about?"

"For how I acted in the dream. In our room."

"Oh Pfff, this again? I told you I've forgiven you years ago!"

"That was back then, I did it again just last night!"

"Yeah, in the creepy nightmare land that messed with our heads! You should've seen how messed up I was!"

"...It affected you too?"

"Oh yeah. It wasn't great. You know that feeling when uh...When you're like so happy you kind of go loopy? Kind of cry a bit and don't think straight?"

"...Like that one time you decided to down a six pack of energy drinks in one afternoon and had to be physically restrained?"

"That but worse."

"Oh."

"Yeah, 'Oh!' It sucked! Sunny found me but I shoved him around and pretended his problems weren't my problems. I felt so...useless, I guess? Like I had completely given up and just drove myself nuts with games. Like oh I can't help anyone, I guess I'll just do nothing but be a child all day and fool myself into being happy-!"

Kel was cut off when he felt Hero hugging him. "Uh...?" He paused until he gently touched his face. He was crying. "Oh."

"Yeah. 'Oh.' You're getting a hug from me. I'm so, so sorry you ever felt that way."

"H-hey, it's not your fault man...But thank you. I appreciate your bro hugs."

* * *

A quiet little jingle played from Sunny's phone. That's the ringtone he set up for Basil. The rest of his teeth can be brushed later, he had something more important to do now.

"Sunny? Hi! Did you sleep alright?"

"Hi Basil. No."

"Aw. Has your sleep gotten any better recently."

"...A little."

"That's good at least! Sooo...Do you want to talk about the dream?"

"...That was real wasn't it?"

"Yep!"

...

Sunny returned to his bedroom to sit on his bed while he talked. This...was so weird. Seeing them in the dream, he still had some belief that his friends truly had visited him in his mind. Now he was getting confirmation in reality. They _had_ been in his dreams.

This was far too much to take in right now. He barely slept last night. He wasn't even fully awake yet. He told Basil he would gladly explain later, but right this moment he needed time to get his thoughts in order.

So they saw everything then? Or a lot of it, at least. They saw Black Space. They saw White Space. They met Omori.

He was awfully glad it was just those four. He could trust them to not make too many assumptions.

Well okay he could trust three of them to not make too many assumptions, but Kel would mean no harm by it.

He was going to wait until that evening and call them back. Explain any questions they might have.

Later that day, He fell asleep before he had the opportunity.

* * *

And yet...Here they were.

Sunny had woken up not within White Space, but within the playground in Headspace. And he wasn't alone.

Basil was present. He said he must have fallen asleep not even five minutes ago! And he was still here, he was still able to visit Sunny's dreams!

A short while later, Kel arrived.

Aubrey followed.

Hero was the last to arrive.

Sunny...had a lot of explaining and re-explaining to do. Explanations about what certain things were, how some of the dream logic worked. He refrained from answering questions about Black Space. A simple mention of it being kind of personal made them drop the subject. There was no unseeing what they had seen, but they respected Sunny's boundaries and didn't push further.

It was after the basic explanations that everyone realized:

They were all together.

They were all together with an entire world to explore. Filled with people to meet and things to do.

Omori and Dream Mari had arrived at the playground with the Dream Copies of Kel, Aubrey, and Hero in the midst of this realization, of Kel running laps around his other friends from sheer excitement, of Basil leaning against Sunny happily.

Hero suggested they try to make a tree house. Maybe not far from the Neighbor's Room, make the room's name fitting. A place to meet and relax in their sleep not far from their dream counterparts. Kel thought this was the best idea ever. Basil mentioned they could get their dream selves to help, if they were willing. Aubrey and Sunny both agreed to help if they wanted.

A plan was made. Chattering and the sharing of ideas began on where and how they should do this. Sunny stood and walked over to Omori and his dream friends. He invited them to come join in, to help them plan a good place for this tree house.

They were all ecstatic, a yellow glow overtaking the group as they rushed to meet with their counterparts.

Sunny gently extended a hand to Omori, an invitation. Come help us. Let's plan this together.

Omori gently smiled and took his hand.

Sunny was

Omori was

They were

**Happy.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank all of you so, so much for reading! I just wanted to let everyone know I ready every comment, even if I don't reply, and I would love any criticism or advice! Let me know what you think!
> 
> Stay tuned for a bonus chapter!


	28. Toast

Mari watched as everyone gathered in the center of the park. She watched her friends from reality mingle with the friends from Headspace. She saw glowing smiles and laughter, annoyance and exasperation. She saw friends bonding with one another.

She idly got out pen and paper from her picnic basket and wrote a small note for Omori.

"If I'm away, I'm at the Neighbor's room!"

She then stood and walked north, leaving without being noticed.

* * *

Who was Mari?

Mari was Sunny's older sister. She and Hero were a couple. She was a good cook. She was a perfectionist. She could've been a prodigious piano player someday, if she just kept working at it. It had to be perfect.

Mari passed away five years ago. She died in a tragic accident, having fallen down the stairs when her little brother pushed her. Her death was ruled a suicide due to the panic of the two young kids who were present at the time. Four years of grief, trauma, and guilt ate away at the two of them.

Who _is_ Mari?

Who is this person walking towards the Neighbor's room?

She wondered that a lot.

Was she a ghost? She did have the memories of Mari in life, but not all of them. Pieces were missing. She knew how she died, but she couldn't actually recall the scene itself.

Was she just a figment? An imagination run wild? Just another piece of her brother's dream?

Was she a construct? Something more complicated, something more able, but still only a duplicate of the original?

She didn't know. She was pretty certain she would never know. As curious as she was, she wasn't too concerned about it. It didn't change anything, really.

Her name was Mari. She's lived in Headspace for as long as it's existed. Someone lived in Realspace who she held some of the memories of. She either is or based off of this person.

Her little brother was Sunny. Her little brother was Omori. She was in love with Hero. She was very good friends with Basil. That didn't change when the dream version of him was removed, as the fragments returned to the original.

She exists within someone's dream. This isn't Reality, but it is _her_ reality. Everything here is real to her.

She gently stepped into the Neighbor's room, grabbing the railing as she descended the steps. A force of habit, one she had since she first woke up here.

She waved at the big yellow cat, it giving off a low meow in response as it watched her enter White Space.

* * *

**Welcome to White Space.**

**It has been 5 Years since you awoke here.  
**

* * *

She gently closed the door behind her, walking past the sleeping Mewo and onto the blanket in the center of the room.

She had to return something she took from here.

She reached into her pockets and pulled out several black keys. Keyboard keys.

It was her that took them, scattered them throughout Headspace. After all, she was the one that slipped Basil the U key when they were one away from opening the door.

It was time to return them to their rightful place.

...

There.

She watched the Hangman naturally fill in as she returned the rest of them, an image of herself on the gallows before the computer quickly shut off.

The keys are returned. The door to Headspace is opened. Omori is saved. Sunny is less alone then he once was. Headspace had grown.

All in all...her plan went off without a hitch. She cracked a mischievous smile, posing with her hand on her chin. She felt almost like a cartoon super villain. All according to plan~!

Now...Now she would rest.

"Mari."

She turned to face the familiar presence.

"Something."

* * *

It didn't hurt her.

Something sat upon her head like a wig, making her hair seem to drag on the ground behind her, an eye on the back of her head.

She never fully understood why it didn't hurt her. This thing of trauma. This creature of denial. Maybe because, in a twisted sense, it is her?

It desperately needed to be combed. Course it always did. She tried actually combing it out once, but it just re-tangled itself as soon as it could. Oh well. Such a strange, oddly affectionate thing.

"Here." She spoke as she stood at the edge of the Pyrefly woods. Something drifted off her head and floated in front of the cobweb. "Both Hero and Sunny have a phobia of spiders. You could hide out here and wait for them to visit."

"Mari...I love you."

"I know you do."

With that, she turned to leave. She didn't exactly enjoy placing it in places where someone might feel fear or discomfort, but doing so herself usually made it stay put for a while. It will always be here, always feeding off of attention, fear, and guilt. The least she could do is try and minimize its interference, let it find places where it could feed off of natural discomfort rather than creating its own.

* * *

She had returned to the picnic basket, only to find everyone had left. Her note was clearly found however and written on.

_'Heading to Otherworld.'_

_-O_

Fair enough. She'd have to wait for them there, she supposed.

Until then...She'd watch the sky for a bit.

...

She thought about Hero. The one from Reality.

She remembered her time with him. Those little quips of trying to charismatic but just coming off as hopelessly romantic.

She still so dearly loved him.

...

She thought of Sunny.

She was never mad at him. She knew from the moment she came to that her death was an accident. She wished she could let him know that.

She worried so much for him.

...

Maybe she should.

No, she can't.

She may not be Mari. Even if she was, she could think of nothing more cruel than to tell either of them she was 'alive' here.

Not after Hero spent so much time depressed and hidden away.

Not after Sunny had spent four years without leaving his own head.

To make them think she was the real Mari would be nothing short of selfish. She didn't want Hero to avoid the waking life. She didn't want to give Sunny another reason to.

Perhaps, at times, she was discontent with this. It was her cross to bear.

She still had the Hero of Headspace. She still had Omori. Both were as real as she was. Both she still loved dearly. 

She would live her life here. She already has for years. She was happy. And now, the doors were open. Sunny's friends could now come and go as they wished.

Things would only grow brighter in the future.


End file.
